Joe Posnanski, the best baseball writer out there now that John Brattain has passed, has a blog entry awarding the LVP award to the most deserving player from both leagues.

It's a good idea.

Now Joe, he figured money into the deal, and I understand his reasoning, but I prefer to use the word "valuable" only in reference to the player's actual performance notwithstanding his salary. ESPECIALLY this year, as only Michael Bourn and Wandy Rodriguez far exceeded their salaries as determined by WAR (from fangraphs.com) in which 1 WAR (win over non-existent replacement) = $4 million.

Now me, I decided to select a player whose appearance on the field not only yielded NO value, but actually cost the team wins.

And the winner is

JASON SMITH!!! (great pic, hunh?)

Don't ask me why he was even put on the 40 man in the first place - some very VERY bizarre idea of Fast Eddie. Not only was he placed on the 40 man, but he was actually called up and unfortunately used in place of Edwin Maysonet, a far superior player, but, unfortunately, a rookie and we can't be using Those People on a baseball field when we have the likes of Jason Smith and his lifetime 48 OPS+ hanging around.

With the Astros, he had 27 PA over 21 games (!!!!), NO hits, NO walks, 1 GIDP and 1 RBI groundout for a grand total OPS+ of negative 100. And no, it don't get no lowern dat, it surely don't. He also soaked up 34 innings in the field making 8 putouts and turning 5 DP (and not managing to turn 2 more, from my notes.)

I did consider Wilton Lopez, but by the time he was called up, the season was in dreadful shambles and hey, any live body who could get on the mound and throw the darn ball was a blessing.