, the return on investment—just by ending the playoff drought—was well worth it, as Sabathia has turned in one of the best post All-Star break runs in baseball history. I would not vote for him, but he deserves to at least be in the discussion.

Ditto for Manny Ramirez, who has had a similar effect on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since coming over from Boston at the trade deadline, Ramirez has singlehandedly transformed Los Angeles’s lineup from average to dynamic. He has posted Nintendo-like numbers in the so-called “JV league,” hitting .396/.489/.743, for a whopping 1.232 OPS, with 17 homers and 53 RBIs. As ugly as his departure from Boston was, he has also reportedly been a much better teammate, too, helping to add a new sense of calm in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. While the local writers may tend to over exaggerate that angle because it makes for a better story, it is hard to argue with his production. And, most likely at Scott Boras’ request, he does appear to be hustling himself to a new, lucrative, multi-year contract this winter.

While not a single team in the NL West is truly deserving of reaching the playoffs, because the division has been so embarrassingly terrible, Ramirez made the difference for Los Angeles as the young talent began to flourish. Hey, he has made a believer out of former Sportscenter anchor Charlie Steiner. And, with the return of a few key players coming back from injury, this team could make a surprise run in the crapshoot that is called the postseason, a la the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. But, Manny has not been around long enough to get my vote, as even Sabathia practically has a month on him.

My choice, then, is Albert Pujols, who has been the best player in the majors all year. Pujols helped the Cardinals remain in contention until around 10 days left in the season, which exceeded all pre-season expectations for the organization. In perhaps a typical Pujols year, he finished with a .357/.462/.653 line, 37 home runs, 116 RBIs and 104 walks to pace the game with a 1.114 OPS. Not only that, he is a great defensive first baseman. Without his bat in the lineup for 148 games, St. Louis would have fallen out of contention by July. He will lose out on votes because his team missed out on the playoffs, but, as the best player in the game, he has made more of an impact for his team. Period.

Ryan Howard led the league with 48 home runs and 146 RBIs, getting hot at the right time (1.274 OPS in September) to help the Philadelphia Phillies to their second consecutive NL East championship. But, the games in the first half count too, and I have a difficult time voting for a player with a .339 on-base percentage. Pujols has the edge in the stats that really count, and is also a better defender.

While I am a big Howard guy, for those Phillies fans who disagree, ask yourself this: would your team have been better with Howard or Pujols? And, if Pujols had Howard’s teammates, would he not be the slam dunk pick here?

Case closed.

My picks:
1. Albert Pujols
2. Ryan Howard

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