Audio: Evan Grant Attempts To Defend Dustin Pedroia Omission Off MVP Ballot

My guess is that when Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant woke up this morning, he didn't expect he'd be questioned from coast-to-coast by the early afternoon.

Why is Grant's name somewhat newsworthy tonight? Because he is a beat reporter for the Texas Rangers and a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, one of 28 writers to cast a ballot for the A.L. MVP.

As you probably know, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was given the award Tuesday, earning 16 first-place votes on 28 ballots. Peculiar though was his complete omission off one ballot, meaning that certain writer didn't feel Pedroia was one of the 10 best players in the American League this season.

He/she is entitled to their opinion, but in this case, it seemed kind of odd, considering he's been in the discussion for months.

Enter Mr. Grant, the writer (seen here with Don King) who is now being questioned by colleagues and Red Sox Nation alike on what he did or didn't see in Pedroia that urged him to leave him off.

He's not anti-Boston as he voted Kevin Youkilis as his MVP and not anti-multiple team nominees as Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau earned his votes.

Three players he included that raised eyebrows: A-Rod, Grady Sizemore, and Carlos Pena.

According to him, he's been voting for a decade and from all account is a pretty well-respected writer. To his credit, Grant has been very good about explaining...err...attempting to explain his rationale instead of hiding down in the oil fields and cattle ranches of Texas. But it's his lack of rationale that doesn't make sense.

- To the Boston Globe: "I had him on my ballot in some scenarios as high as No. 1 late into September. When I looked at the numbers that to me mattered most, OPS and batting average with runners in scoring position, he just didn't stack up with Youkilis at all.

"He was a laggard behind the others who had great years in the American League. Is it an error of omission that he's left off my ballot entirely? You could say that."

So what happened in late-September that had him go from No. 1 to not at all?

- On his own DMN Blog after admitting he made a mistake: "But I will have you know that Pedroia was 18th in OPS, 27th in RBIs, 30th in batting average with runners in scoring position and 53rd in on-base percentage with runners in scoring percentage. I am aware he tied for the league lead in hits, led in runs scored and was second in batting average. But in the stats that to me suggest production and clutch hitting, he was dwarfed by the other players on the list."

Interesting, but you really need to listen to this, an interview Grant did with WEEI's The Big Show, the most popular show on Boston sports radio. Now, there are times I'm not a huge fan of their approach on the program, but they gave Grant every opportunity to come up with a clear rationale for what his thought process was.

But he couldn't do it! It's 20 minutes and awkward in spots, but if you have some time to kill at work, give it a click.

At the end of the day, Pedroia still won, so Grant's ballot ultimately didn't matter. But what if it did? Considering this group decides on these awards, Hall-of-Fame inductions and so on, there needs to more public accountability for their voting. I'm glad there are members that publicly discuss their voting procedure and thought process...And I wish others could rationally explain theirs when they do.

(By the way, the Rangers visit Boston the first weekend in June 2009. I wonder if Grant will make the trip or leave this one off his travel ballot.)

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. He can be reached at [e-mail].