NL MVP

Berkman doesn't make my ballot.

 

Either Uggla or Hanley Ramirez, but I know it won't be Ramirez. No one around here respects steals like they should.

 

Howard slowed down because he got almost nothing but IBBs for the last two weeks. And I don't want to hear the Pujols' team was better argument, either. Check the standings. Not Howard's fault Pujols got to play in the dog-ass NL Central.

 

Pujols would get my NL MVP vote every day, and twice on Sunday, and he should already have 3, 4, maybe 5 awards, if it weren't for one B. Bonds.

But ...

Howard singlehandedly kept his team in the race all summer, until they stopped throwing to him the last three weeks. He was the reason the Phils were still alive on the next-to-last day of the season.

Pujols absolutely deserves to win the award -- hell, they should rename it after him right now. He IS that valuable. But once again, there was one player in the league that just cannot be denied, for this one season.

Howard would get my vote.

 

Well, from the drones who believe that the MVP's teammates determine if he is MVP (i.e. he must be on a playoff team), the tired "The Phillies certainly could have missed the playoffs without Howard" refrain might be heard.

 

And that's fine. As long as those same people admit the only reason they're voting for Pujols is because he plays for a team in the NL Central. Because the Phils actually won more games than the Cardinals. Edit: And, unless I'm wrong, the Cardinals would have missed the playoffs had they played in any other division in baseball.

Hell, Howard nearly carried a team to the playoffs that had its own GM declare it dead at the trade deadline.

 

This... "They didn't pitch to him" line is a little fluffy.

You think they pitched to Pujols?

I saw Pujols many times hit... DRIVE... pitches that were clearly not strikes.

Howard didn't get it done in the final three weeks.

 

It has to be Pujols.

 

not sure I'd say Phils died ... 18-9 in last 27?

 

13-8 in those final 21 games.

Their season died, I guess I could have typed.

 

Ryan Howard is awesome, but when you look at Pujols' numbers and think about him missing time because of injury it is unbelievable. While Howard carried the Phillies to an extent he also had Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins having monster seasons around him, while Pujols had Preston Wilson, and what is left of Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds.
I think you have to go with Pujols on this one.

 

Ryan Howard's (and Albert Pujols) statistics for the month of September:

Howard Pujols
BA: .387 .368
OBP: .561 .464
SLG: .763 .679
OPS: 1.324 1.143