158 games, 134 runs, 219 hits, 37 doubles, 9 triples, 24 homers, 102 RBI, 19 SB's, .438 OBP, .349 AVG
157 games, 118 runs, 213 hits, 54 doubles, 2 triples, 17 homers 83 RBI, 20 SB's, .376 OBP, .326 AVG
I'll let you guess which one is Derek Jeter's stats in 1998 and which is Pedroia's 2008. Think that is unfair? OK. Here is another stat line to be compared with Pedroia's 2008 numbers:
154 games, 118 runs, 214 hits, 39 doubles, 3 triples, 14 homers, 97 RBI, 34 SB's, .343 AVG. The man who owns those numbers lost the MVP race to Justin Morneau in 2006. His name? Derek Jeter. Dustin Pedroia won the MVP beating out the very man who beat Derek Jeter in 2006. Let us compare Mr. Morneau's numbers from 2006 and 2008 and see how big of a difference there was:
2006: 157 games, 97 runs, 190 hits, 37 doubles, 1 triple, 34 homers, 130 RBI, .375 OBP, 3 SB's, .321 AVG.
2008: 163 games, 97 runs, 187 hits, 47 doubles, 4 triples, 23 homers, 129 RBI, 0 SB's, .300 AVG.
You mean to tell me that all of a sudden Justin Morneau's numbers are not good enough for MVP despite putting up eerily similar numbers? Oh, and by the way, Morneau accounted for a higher percentage of his teams total offense in 2008 than in 2006 which means he was even more valuable to his team in 2008 than in 2006 when he actually won the award. Don't get me wrong, Morneau deserves his MVP award. However, Dustin Pedroia should never have beaten Morneau while posting numbers that are generally considered worse than Derek Jeter's in 2006 when Jeter lost to Morneau. In my opinion, the Baseball Writers have let the baseball world down. Pedroia should not have been MVP if you are giving him the award for all the same reasons you denied Derek Jeter. Talk about hypocrisy!
If the Red Sox didn't have Pedroi this season would they have still made the playoffs? Probably. If the Twins didn't have Morneau would they have taken the White Sox to a one game playoff? Not even close.
there is some shady stuff going on with the BBWAA. The NL MVP race was just as skewed. Ryan Howard almost single handedly got the Phillies into the playoffs. Yet, he comes in second place. Hanley Ramirez, one of the games best and most exciting players who actually gave the Marlins fans reason to hope finished 11th. Yet Manny Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia, both of whom played less than a year in the Senior Circuit finish in 2nd and 6th respectively. I am not taking anything away from any player here, they are all great and what Manny did for the Dodgers was amazing and beyond words. However, the BBWAA overlook so many key facts and stats that it makes these postseason awards a joke. No wonder the Hall of Fame is quickly becoming a joke as well. Maybe one day, Major League Baseball will wake up. Maybe one day the BBWAA will grow up. In the meantime I am going to go look at a bridge in Brooklyn I heard was for sale.
6 comments:
I think you are discounting Pedroia's defensive skills in the award consideration. Most Valuable Player means just that, the player who is most valuable and I took a deep breath when you said that the Red Sox would probably have made it to the playoffs without him. You're writing checks even Derek Jeter can't cash.
Defensive skills have really never been a part of determining the MVP. If that were the case, then Derek Jeter, who has two Gold Gloves should still have won the MVP by your logic. Dustin Pedroia wasn't even the MVP of the Red Sox. That would belong to Kevin Youkilis and Dice-K.
I appreciate your trying to bring back formerly hip words and movie lines from the 1980's but please leave them where they belong, in the past.
Oh, and if you really want to count defense then take this into consideration, Derek Jeter won the 2006 AL Gold Glove at SS. So, I guess your argument is writing checks your body can't cash.
There's no way, John, you can honestly say Dustin Pedroia deserves this year's MVP award. The last time someone did not win the award with more than 30 HRs and 100 RBIs was Ichiro (2001), who also won Rookie of the Year in the same season. Ichiro took this league by storm, he batted .350 and had 242 hits. Pedroia's league-leading doubles count is 54; Ichiro had 34. But get this, Pedroia had 35 doubles at Fenway, and 26 -- about half -- of those doubles came off the Green Monster. Most of those doubles were long fly balls that would be outs in any other stadium. Ichiro hit 192 singles in '01, which he then would immediately put himself in scoring position with one of his 56 stolen bases that season. Pedroia had only 20. And runs scored (Ichiro 127, Pedroia 118) and OBP (Ichiro .381, Pedroia .376) go to the Japanese player. As far as HRs and RBIs are concerned, Pedroia wins both those easily. But HRs and RBIs aren't what make them valuable. It's nice to fill up those stat columns, but that's not either guy's game. Since 1990, only two other hitters won the MVP without recording 30 HRs or 100 RBIs, Ricky Henderson ('90) and Ichiro ('01). Dennis Eckersley won MVP in '92.
And based on how Jeter had two better seasons statistically than Pedroia, and Jeter didn't win the award. I'm sorry but Pedroia, although a great season, doesn't deserve the '08 honor. Even just consider Morneau's numbers and everything else Chris Gamble said.
Man, there is no way Pedroia should have won this award. This is just further proof that the BBWAA hates the Yankees.
screw Pedroia. Justin should have won, not Dustin. Red Sox loving media. I'm surprised David Ortiz, that traitor didn't win the MVP. What crap.
Great point about Jeter too. Never thought about it like that, wow.
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