One of the most hotly contested American League Most Valuable Player races in years will be announced at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday.
In a year where there were a lot of good teams with no obvious "That's the guy!" gold-star attached (in other words, A-Rod), this award could go to one of several players that have legitimate arguments.
I think this quote from Baseball Prospectus writer Joe Sheehan, when discussing the 2006 AL MVP race in August is appropriate: "The candidates for AL MVP are tightly packed and generate their value in disparate ways, so much so that even conscientious analysts will be scratching their heads deep into the offseason."
I agree, Joe. Let's do this.
The Top Three (in no particular order)
1. Dustin Pedroia (2B—Boston Red Sox)
The little engine that could, Pedroia was the fancy of many eyes because of the fact he's kinda small. The 5'9" (or 5'7" depending on whom you believe), 180-pound Arizona State University alum had a sensational sophomore season in 2008, following up on his A.L. Rookie of the Year season.
In a Red Sox season marred by major injuries to David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell, Pedroia never lost stride after coming out of the gates slow. He hit .326 (2nd in AL) with 17 homers and 83 RBI.
He ranked first in the league with 118 runs, 213 hits, and 54 doubles. Normally the second batter in the order, he was called upon to bat cleanup for several games and excelled at doing so, causing even Ortiz and Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to laugh at what was happening.
Did we mention he won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and was named to start the All-Star Game?
What could hurt him: vote stealing by teammate Kevin Youkilis.
2. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez (Closer—Los Angeles Angels)
While not the most dominant closer in the game, K-Rod etched his name in the record books with a major-league record 62 saves. For you math whizzes, that's 38 percent of the freakin' season that ended with him on the mound, raising his hands to the air like he just doesn't care.
Earning third place in the AL Cy Young race, K-Rod put up a 2.24 ERA and fanned 77 batters in 68.2 innings of work. And as far as the claims he didn't pitch in close games? The Angels won 63 games by two runs or less and K-Rod saved 51 of them (82 percent of his total count) while getting the win in two others.
Working for him? Dennis Eckersley (1992) and Willie Hernandez (1984) both earned MVP honors as closers.
What could hurt him: Former MLB single-season save king Bobby Thigpen finished fifth in his dream season. He's a closer and pitchers don't usually get the respect for the MVP award as a rule.
3. Justin Morneau (1B—Minnesota Twins)
Easily the quietest MVP candidate, you don't hear much about The Big M and what's he doing for the team that has the cheap owner (Carl Pohlad) but great GM (Bill Smith and Terry Ryan before him) that overcome it.
A multiple-time All-Star and proud native of British Columbia, Canada, Morneau hit .300 with 29 homers and 129 RBI (second in AL), while scoring an impressive 97 runs. His 47 doubles led all of baseball. Also interesting: 16 intentional walks and 163 games played were both good for the league lead.
But why is the 2006 A,L MVP such a strong candidate? According to MLB.com, he also was one of just three AL players to finish the season with an average over .300 with at least 40 doubles and 100 RBI. What could hurt him: Joe Mauer's outstanding season and the same vote-stealing issues that could hurt Pedroia.
6 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Nick Xouris 7 months ago
You lost all credibility when you give K-Rod the #2 spot based on his save total. He was the 5th or 6th relief pitcher in the AL. The only reason why he had a record number of saves is because he had an inordinate number of save opportunities. Do you actually believe he had a better year than Soria, Papelbon, Nathan, or Rivera just because the Angels didn't blow teams out?
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Josh Nason 7 months ago
It wasn't No. 2 in how I thought they'd finish. He was just second on the list. Whether he had a better year than closers you mentioned can be debated and I've done a lot of that, especially with guys like Papelbon and Nathan. However, none of those guys are in the MVP discussion so K-Rod gets inclusion here.
Who do you think is baseball's best closer?
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Nick Xouris 7 months ago
Come on, you can't be serious in giving K-Rod the #2 spot based on his save total. He was the 5th or 6th relief pitcher in the AL. The only reason why he had a record number of saves is because he had an inordinate number of save opportunities. Do you actually believe he had a better year than Soria, Papelbon, Nathan, or Rivera just because the Angels didn't blow teams out?
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Dylan Sharek 7 months ago
Hey Josh,
Can you describe how Youkilis is disliked? As a Boston native, I hadn't heard that before and find it interesting.
Dylan
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Josh Nason 7 months ago
You listen to other teams' fans and for some reason, they don't like him. I don't know why either, but he's like our version of Jorge Posada. I think it's probably the mannerisms and way he plays.
I'm a Boston-area guy too, by the way. I think he's a great talent.
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Matt Pottorff 7 months ago
My only problem with Pedroia winning the MVP is his supporting cast is so much better than Justin Morneau's. Morneau has Joe Mauer ahead of him in the lineup. Pedroia has one of the best offenses in baseball to work with.
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