AL MVP?

[Beaker]

It probably shouldn't play into the voters' decisions, but I'm guessing Hamilton's comeback story will help him win.

 

[Guy_Incognito]

I think it'll come down to which has the better September betwen Quentin and Hamilton. As a Ranger fan I would love to see Hamilton win, but Texas is out of gas and will likely finish under .500. Quentin is in a pennant race and will get lots of exposure. So my head says Quentin.

If it's decided by exposure etc., Hamilton will win.

 

[Football_Bat]

I think it'll come down to which has the better September betwen Quentin and Hamilton. As a Ranger fan I would love to see Hamilton win, but Texas is out of gas and will likely finish under .500. Quentin is in a pennant race and will get lots of exposure. So my head says Quentin.

If it's decided by exposure etc., Hamilton will win.

September exposure > July exposure.

 

[pallister]

Well, Zeke, today I concede your MVP argument. Quentin just struck out with the bases loaded, then Dye followed wth two-run double.

 

[zeke12]

Well, Zeke, today I concede your MVP argument. Quentin just struck out with the bases loaded, then Dye followed wth two-run double.

No worries. It's not like you said Johan Santana sucked, or something bat**** crazy like that.

 

[outofplace]

I think the key stat between the two is RBI. Quentin has 90 with Cabrera and A.J. batting in front of him. Cabrera is having a down year, and A.J.'s no OBP stud. But Quentin this year has had a knack for clearing the bases, which is why Dye's RBI numbers are much lower. He often comes up with the bases empty.

Quentin's been out the last two games after getting hit. He better get back in the lineup soon. The Sox can't afford to lose either of those guys.

At least he's back in the lineup today. Of course, he was hit by a pitch again his first time up.

 

[zeke12]

I think the key stat between the two is RBI. Quentin has 90 with Cabrera and A.J. batting in front of him. Cabrera is having a down year, and A.J.'s no OBP stud. But Quentin this year has had a knack for clearing the bases, which is why Dye's RBI numbers are much lower. He often comes up with the bases empty.

Quentin's been out the last two games after getting hit. He better get back in the lineup soon. The Sox can't afford to lose either of those guys.

At least he's back in the lineup today. Of course, he was hit by a pitch again his first time up.

The ****ing Royals are a menace.

 

[pressboxramblings07]

Josh Hamilton, and the line starts behind him.

 

[pallister]

No ****, what's the deal with the Royals? The pitchers can't be that bad. I would say something about the manager, but I have no idea who it is.

 

[spnited]

Well, Zeke, today I concede your MVP argument. Quentin just struck out with the bases loaded, then Dye followed wth two-run double.

No worries. It's not like you said Johan Santana sucked, or something bat**** crazy like that.

Who would ever be crazy enough to say Johan Santana sucks?*










*I never said he sucked. I said he wasn't pitch as well as a $140 million ace should. So, **** you, Twinkies fanboilooser!

 

[MartinEnigmatica]

There's a pretty interesting parallel between Quentin/Dye and Hamilton/Bradley, in that they're tandems of players having remarkable seasons in the same lineup.

Hamilton has batted 3rd, mostly, and his current line:
.302/.367/.551, 28 homers, 27 doubles, 48 walks:92Ks
Bradley mostly batting cleanup:
.321/.448(!)/.594, 20 homers, 26 doubles, 67BB:89K

Quentin, batting mostly 3rd:
.284/.382/.565 with 32 homers, 21 doubles, 50BB:71K
Dye, batting 4th and 5th:
.301/.358/.570 with 28 homers, 27 doubles, 34BB:84K

Now, which of those players has had the best season? Hamilton has inflated RBI totals because he bats earlier in the lineup and, as someone earlier pointed out, has two outstanding hitters in front of him -- Young and Kinsler -- getting on base a lot. Bradley may also be hurt by the fact that he's got 20 fewer games under his belt. Of the four, I'd probably vote for Dye. I just don't think there's a definitive answer here, and you can't say that any has been "far and away" the best. EDIT-I'm an idiot with the Dye thing. I didn't even look at his relative fail with RISP.

 

[Football_Bat]

Bradley is having a career year. He's blossoming in the Ranger clubhouse culture and I hope they re-sign him, at least for another year and see how his knee holds up. But he's not even in the discussion for MVP.

 

[MartinEnigmatica]

Just for the sake of argument, Plate Appearances with RISP, then line and HR totals.
Hamilton-166, .331/.386/.662, 11 HR.
Quentin-130, .324/.446/.588, 7 HR.
Dye-126, .278/.310/.443, 3 HR.
Youkilis-137, .354/.423/.584 5 HR
Morneau-166, .376/.494/.648, 6 HR

 

[zeke12]

Just for the sake of argument, Plate Appearances with RISP, then line and HR totals.
Hamilton-166, .331/.386/.662, 11 HR.
Quentin-130, .324/.446/.588, 7 HR.
Dye-126, .278/.310/.443, 3 HR.
Youkilis-137, .354/.423/.584 5 HR
Morneau-166, .376/.494/.648, 6 HR

Gotta love Morneau's line, there.

I think he's still leading the league in IBB, too.

 

[BB Bobcat]

FWIW, I think Sabathia can make a better case for getting NL MVP votes than Cy Young. He's certainly been valuable to them.

Cy Young I think is just for the "best pitcher over the season," having nothing to do with team performance IMO.

EDIT: I don't mean to suggest that Sabathia should win the NL MVP, but I can see him getting a lot of 5th-10th votes.

 

[buckweaver]

I can see that, BB. Don't think Sabathia's really got a shot at the Cy Young, even if he finishes, say, 14-2.

Sutcliffe is the best comparision, of course, but Sut's closest competition didn't have a full season like Brandon Webb has had.

Sabathia could still finish second or third, but Webb and Lincecum have been outstanding all season. Can't see C.C. overtaking either one of them.

 

[BYH]

I still can't believe Gooden didn't get a single ****ing first-place vote in 1984.

That's a travesty Mikey! [/cross-threading]

 

[mike311gd]

You're a travesty.

 

[BYH]

So's your face.

 

[joe_schmoe]

I'm a big fan of Hamilton earning the MVP. It's easy to pick a guy or leave him out based on where the team ends up, but in the case of the Rangers, who since 1999 have started their midseason slide on April 5th, as late as last week they were still a serious threat in the wild card race (I think they had gotten to 5 back). This last week killed them but to even be thinking about the Rangers in the playoff hunt in August says something about what some of those guys have meant to the team.
In any case, I still think he's the best player in the game right now.