Come To Think Of It...Picking The NL MVP: Howard Or Pujols?

The fact that I'm even asking the question with a straight face is a testimony to the sheer number of media, fans and voters alike out there pushing for guys like Ryan Howard, Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia over the one who should win the NL's Most Valuable Player award:

Albert Pujols.

Look, I know there is a cross-section of voters who won't consider anyone that is not from a winning team. Well, that is too bad, because a player can be valuable to a team even if that team doesn't win their division.

The St. Louis Cardinals, for example, probably wouldn't have even sniffed the pennant race this season if it were not for Albert. His uncanny ability to get on base helped the Cardinals surprise the baseball world by having a very nice season and challenging the Cubs and Brewers for much of the season, until simply running out of steam toward the end.

But forget about the debate over the definition of the award, for a moment. Just comparing statistics head-on between the Phillies Ryan Howard and Albert looks like this:

Pujols:    .462/.653/1.114

Howard: .339/.543/.881

The home run and RBI advantage enjoyed by Howard is certainly trumped by the on-base and slugging of Pujols.

Oh, and another thing: Pujols plays much better defense at first base than Howard does.

The other arguments are just plain silly, but let's visit them in this space for a moment. Manny did an unbelievable job of hitting and leading the Dodgers to the playoffs after joining them in trade from Boston. It's very likely the Dodgers wouldn't have made the postseason if it weren't for him.

But should 187 at-bats of Manny circumvent a full season of Albert Pujols? I think not.

And as for Sabathia, first of all, pitchers have their own award. It's called the Cy Young award. Second, Sabathia is another example of someone who wasn't with his team for the full season. Anyway, it's difficult for me to value a guy who pitches every fifth day above someone who plays every day. Especially when they play as well as Albert plays.

Look, folks, we are witnessing one of the greatest hitters of all time in Albert Pujols. In his eight seasons in the majors, he has never hit less than 32 home runs, driven in less than 103 runs, scored fewer than 99 runs, or hit less than .314. His career OBP is .425; his OPS 1.049.

Perhaps even more amazing in this age when players swing from their heels 'cuz chicks dig the long ball, is that Pujols has never struck out 100 times in a season. In fact, he has averaged just 54 strikeouts in each of this past three seasons.

Well, we'll find out how the writers voted at 2pm ET this afternoon. Come to think of it, go ahead and make your pick.