A.L. MVP 2013

Well, there's certainly a big adjustment to be made from the NPB pitching workload to MLB, and all Japanese pitchers until now have struggled with it.

So I'm sure he's dealing with fatigue issues pitching every five days instead of every six like he's used to. I don't know what his pitch counts were like in Japan, but American League lineups are much stronger from top to bottom so he is working most definitely harder in his starts, even though he's pitching slightly fewer innings in MLB than he was in NPB the last few years.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/japan/player.cgi?id=darvis001yu-

That said, if a 2.83 ERA and 277 strikeouts in 209 innings doesn't make him an ace, I don't know what the Rangers are hoping for. They haven't had a pitcher put up numbers like that since Nolan Ryan.

 

You don't think a voter who simply looked at the triple crown last year and put no more thought into it would favor the hitter with a huge edge in home runs and RBI who played for a division winner over a player with a more well-rounded game who played for a team with a losing record? Seriously?

 

Had you read my follow-up post, I said he's the type who might do that.

But overall for this guy, "Triple Crown" winner on a non-playoff team against a guy on a winning team with insane numbers is the deciding factor. It's just who this guy is, what he believes.

Just like he'd vote a guy with a 19-8 record and so-so peripherals (ERA, strikeouts, etc) for Cy Young over a guy with a 14-11 record on a low-scoring team even though he led the league in ERA, strikeouts and other defining stats. Because to him, "If a pitcher is good he should be able to win games."

 

I saw your post and responded. Not my job to dig through all of your responses first.

First of all, your comparison regarding the triple crown is not what happened. Last year, the voters did not choose a triple crown winner on a non playoff team over a guy on a winning team with "insane numbers." It was Cabrera's team that made the playoffs last year, winning the AL Central. The Angels did not make it.

And insane numbers? It's not like Cabrera's numbers last year couldn't have also fit that description. Trout's primary edge last season was defense, not his overall offensive numbers.

If somebody was lazy enough to only look at the triple crown, they might be lazy enough to judge pitchers only on victories. But I don't accept the premise that such voters made up a particularly large percentage of those who voted for Cabrera. That is something you are trying to assert because you don't like the choice they made.

 

Holy fuck, what are you even arguing?

Go away.

 

Thank you for your completely useless response. This following three consecutive posts about Yu Darvish on a thread about AL MVP. Unlike you, I'm posting on topic.

You can do better. Focus on that before you try telling anybody else how to post.

 

Thank you for posting that, Buck.

It all depends what you call an "ace." If you are looking for King Felix or Kershaw, he is not in that class, but who is? Maybe 1-2 other pitchers are in that class.

Is he an ace, or a shade below an ace, which is about as good as your going to get unless your minor league system can develop a Kershaw, Hernandez, Verlander and a couple others.

 

Even the best pitchers are going to give up a run in a given inning about 1/3 of the time. When it's a one-run game, it's noticed.

Darvish is an ace. I'm surprised it's even in question, but I guess when a team tanks like the Rangers did late, people want to find answers.

 

To quote Buck, what the fuck are you even arguing? Jesus H Fucking Christ. You are a louse.

Yes, voters goddamn did choose someone for MVP ...

ONLY BECAUSE HE WON THE TRIPLE CROWN NOT BECAUSE HE PLAYED ON A PLAYOFF TEAM OR A NON-PLAYOFF TEAM BUT BECAUSE HE WON THE TRIPLE CROWN!

Not all of them. Not a good percentage of them. But some of them. Even if 12 did, that's too many. Even if 7 did, that' too many. I know at least one who did. There are others in his generation who are apt to do the same thing so I'm willing to bet they did.

And because you need to be affirmed at every turn, yes, that is lazy voting.

There are others like the voter I mentioned. Do I know their names? No. But they're still out there. They don't drink Sabr Juice yet. They probably never will. They smell, breathe, taste and drink the game like they did in the '50s, '60, '70s and '80s, even '90s. You win the Triple Crown -- you win the MVP ... REGARDLESS OF THE FACT YOU PLAY ON A PLAYOFF OR NON-PLAYOFF TEAM. You lead the league with 21 wins despite a 3.89 ERA even though another guy was 14-12 with far superior numbers -- you win the Cy Young (or are on the very short list).

His generation of voters is a dying breed. Five, ten, fifteen years from now there will be no more of them and when they're extinct there will never again be a voter who votes for MVP based solely on the player winning the Triple Crown regardless of the team he plays on.

This was the point I made. You masturbated all over it. Because you like to masturbate.

 

I got your point. I did all along. I'm allowed to disagree with it no matter how much that makes you cry. All I said is that type of voter would likely favor things that would still leave him voting for Cabrera this year. Then you argued with that point. You don't like how the argument went, so you are attacking me personally.


You offered up a false scenario and now you are whining becuase I pointed that out, too. You want to claim certain voters would have chosen Cabrera even if the Tigers had been a losing team solely because of the Triple Crown? Fine. You are guessing. I'm sure even the one voter you are basing your entire point on was aware that the Tigers made the playoffs last year. But hey, I guess you read his mind and you know every part of his thinking.

Of course, there have just been so many recent Triple Crown winners that we can see the track record...oh...wait...

You employed false comparisons and guesswork and you don't like me pointing that out. Too damn bad.

You think I need affirmation? You obviously know even less about me than you know about baseball. I have zero problem standing by my points with or without support from others.

Now, you and buck can keep crying or we can return to the topic. You decide.