2013 National League MVP

OH MY GOD, DRE SAID IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ABSURD THINGS EVER ON THIS BOARD!

EVAR!

DRE IS THE COOLEST! HE'S A REAL FAN!

 

Jason Grilli hasn't even been the best/most important pitcher in the Pirates' bullpen.

 

Funny. I guess everybody who disagrees with you on this, which will be anybody with a clue about baseball, is also a douchebag.

The fact that you went for the personal dig first shows how weak your attempt at an argument really is.

Closers, even dominant ones, are not as valuable as guys who play every day. Even when McCutchen wasn't hitting, he was making plays in the field and still contributing more than a guy getting three outs.

If Grilli had blown three saves the Pirates are out of it right now? First of all, take away three wins and the Pirates would still be leading the Nationals for the final playoffs spot. Secondly, I guess it's huge that Grilli didn't blow one more save because he did blow two of them.

The part about replacing him also sailed right over your head. Mark Melancon stepped in for Grilli and the Pirates didn't miss a beat from the end of July, when they lost Grilli, until mid-September. Melancon was damn near untouchable in the role until his last two outings, and in the last one, it was a Pedro Alvarez error with two outs that cost him the save.

So, Grilli is so valuable that the Pirates went without him for nearly two months and didn't miss him.

And McCutchen's April? Still more valuable than your beloved Puig, who was contributing absolutely nothing.

Yup. I stand by my statement. You don't know what you are talking about.

 

Also, he thinks that every blown save results in a loss.

 

Well, actually, Rick, I don't think that.

 

This means that everybody's closer would be there MVP.

 

Anybody who thinks a guy who pitches 60 innings is more valuable than an every-day player who is one of the top hitters in the league is yes, clueless.

 

Well, if it's the right 60 innings and they are dominant enough, it can be close *

* (as always, for some definitions of value)

 

I neither said Grilli should be MVP nor was more valuable.

What I said is that for this Pittsburgh team he was as VITAL -- as in importance -- as McCutchen, who I would vote for.

Vita because they have a winning record for the first time in 20 years. They're (probably) making the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. None of that happens if Grilli doesn't close out 31 of the wins through the end of July. He was 36 years old and had 5 career saves before this season. What, you all thought 36-year-old first-time closer Jason Grilli was going to save 31 games through July?

Hey, more power to you.

No one could have predicted Melancon, even though he's a very good pitcher. But that also doesn't mean that any Tom, Dick or Harry can step into the closer's role. That both Grilli and Melancon did, and succeeded, only adds to the Pirates' story.

That being said, Steak, who's the most vital Brave the last 3 years?

 

What do expectations have to do with value?

 

Jason Heyward, then Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons (Simmons would be if he'd played more than 1 1/2 seasons)

Kimbrel's awesome, but he doesn't result in as many wins for the Braves as someone who plays in almost every game for nine innings.