Revisting 1995: Val Vs. Cal

What kind of All-Star snub would it take for you to still gnash your teeth over it more than a decade later?

The biggest snub I can recall was in 1995 when a declining Cal Ripken started the All-Star game over Red Sox star John Valentin, despite his MVP-caliber season.

I just can’t let this one go. Johnny V deserved to start that game – and Ripken should have bowed out.

Mo Vaughn ended up winning the MVP that year over Albert Belle in a controversial vote, but Johnny V finished ninth in the voting—and probably should have been much higher.

Valentin was beginning a four-year stretch during which he averaged .295 with 20 homers, 78 RBI, and more walks than strikeouts. That might not sound like much, but remember that Val's run began before the days of A-Rod, Nomar and Tejada. A 19-year-old Alex Rodriguez hit just .232 with five HRs for the Mariners in 1995.

Of course, Rodriguez busted out the following year, followed by Jeter, Nomar and a slew of other superstar shortstops. Valentin’s 20 homers and 78 RBI look modest in comparison.

But in 1995, Val was having a Jeremy Piven in “PCU” performance.

Try this on: Valentin hit .298 that year with a staggering .399 OBP. He hit 27 homers, 37 doubles, and knocked in 102 runs. Oh, and for good measure, stole 20 bases while getting caught just five times.

Those numbers blow Ripken’s 1995 out of the water. Valentin was inarguably better than Ripken in every category that year: Ripken had 17 HRs, 88 RBI and a .262 average He had zero stolen bases.

Let’s not forget that Valentin earned $637,000 that year, while Ripken was paid $6.7 million. (And my verb choices there are not accidental).

But Valentin’s season was not just a pretty good one—it was one of the best of all time by a shortstop. Don’t believe me? The next and last time a shortstop had a similar season, he won the MVP.

MVP? You can't be serious

In 2002, Tejada won the MVP with a .308 BA, Val hit .298 in 1995. Valentin actually had more extra-base hits (66 to 64) than Tejada and his OBP was nearly 50 points higher. Tejada did have 20 more RBI, but he also had an astounding 125 more at bats (Remember that the 1995 season was shortened by 15-20 games due to the strike)! Val also had those 20 SBs to Tejada’s seven.

This previous MVP win by a shortstop is eerie: In 1983, Ripken was the MVP with 27 HRs, 102 RBI and 0 steals. In 1995, Valentin had 27 HRs, 102 RBI and those magical 20 steals. And Val’s 1995 .399 OBP was a bit better than Cal’s 1983 OBP of .371.

The worst part in all this is that Valentin never made it to an All-Star team; 1995 was really his last chance before the Next Generation burst upon the scene. As I said earlier, his 20 HRs just don’t stack up against ARod’s 50.

But think about this: Ripken made 19 All-Star games. John Valentin made none.

Ripken made 17 All-Star games during seasons in which he hit the same or fewer than Valentin’s 1995 total of 102 RBI. He never once had an OBP of .399. He never stole 20 bases. He hit more than 27 homers just twice. Yet he was elected to the squad, year after year, while Valentin missed his one chance.

The other AL shortstop in 1995 was the Angels’ Gary DiSarcina. DiSarcina would hit .307 with six HRs and 41 RBI that year, and was obviously the least deserving of the three. If he had backed out for Valentin, I would have been OK with that.

But 1995 was DiSarcina’s lone trip to the All-Star game and he’s a New Englander, so I can’t fault him for being selfish.

Ripken earns my wrath on two counts:

1. He had already been to a DOZEN Midsummer Classics by 1995 and likely knew he’d have plenty of other chances, and

2. Ripken had to know that Val was having one of those special seasons, having been through it himself. He should have bowed out and let the Man have his start.

Still bitter after all these years

So Cal may be the most popular player in the Baltimore area – even today, years after he retired, he’s the most recognizable Oriole – but I’ll always hate him. I’ll never forgive him. And I won’t let this go.

As for Johnny V? He hung 'em up in 2003 after washing out of spring training -- in Baltimore of all places -- having never made a single All-Star appearance. But at least he can take consolation in the fact that he still has all his hair and that it’s still its original color.

PARTING SHOT: Valentin has 19 RBI in 17 postseason games, while Ripken had just eight in 28 games.