NL MVP - Joey Votto

Yes, that's what I wrote.

 

Then you wrote incorrectly. He was as good as anybody in the NL and his team performed better than the other two legit MVP contenders.

 

Forgive my ignorance, but aren't you talking about a career/lifetime achievement award vs. MVP for any given season?

 

I don't think he is saying that Pujols deserves it based on his previous success. I think he is saying that Votto only got it because his is a more compelling story -- which is a load of crap.

 

That's debatable, but you're missing the point. I don't have much desire to get into a lengthy discussion about it.

 

We get your point, ridiculous though it may be, that the only reason Votto won was because he is a new/better story that Pujols winning again.

 

I used to live on Albert Avenue in Mimico. Maybe the street was named after him.

 

Check out my post just above yours. I'm pretty sure that was your point and I am even more sure that it is ridiculous.

 

Regarding the margin, I think it's because the Reds made the playoffs and none of the other top MVP candidates' teams did. Shows that the voters put a heavy emphasis on that when two players are otherwise equal.

I'm sure if you asked each guy to rate Votto's season and rate Pujols' season on a scale of 1 to 10, Votto might average 9.5 and Pujols 8.9 or something, but they're not doing that here. Have to pick one or the other. All or nothing.

 

Story on Joey in today's Toronto Star

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/article/895137--feschuk-a-million-swings-led-toronto-s-joey-votto-to-mvp

Reason for his success in baseball? He couldn't skate.

Toronto's " lack of locally bred professionals can be chalked up to hockey’s hold on most of the best athletes. So maybe the great blessing of Votto’s life, as he revealed in the Sports Illustrated cover story that accompanied his amazing summer, is that he was awkward enough on ice that a high-school girlfriend dumped him after he unfurled his skaky-ankled exploits on a date at a rink."

Can't play hockey? Play baseball.

 

I'm not sure how people can complain about the margin - if you think he's the best choice, & 31 out of 32 voters agreed with you, would you have preferred that more of them got it wrong?

 

Considering he just finished his third full season, I think that might be a bit of a stretch. He had two very good years prior to this one, but nowhere near being "the absolute best player in major league baseball."