10:15 AM Eastern
Pretty much from the day Albert Pujols came into the major leagues, he has been among the best players in the game, if not the best. He played second fiddle to Barry Bonds for a while there, then after Bonds was Jose Canseco’d into retirement the debate became Pujols or Alex Rodriguez. Pujols is the clear winner there, as he will be the clear winner this afternoon when the National League MVP award is given out.
Pujols was the driving force behind the St. Louis Cardinals’ N.L. Central division title, doing all the offensive heavy lifting until the team picked up Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa in late-season deals. He hit .327 – which actually lowered his career batting average, and led the league with a .443 OBP. He led the major leagues with 47 homers, 124 runs scored, a .658 SLG and a 1.101 OPS, as well as 374 total bases, 93 extra-base hits and 44 intentional walks. He also stole 16 bases in 20 attempts – how about that?
Speaking of how about that – small sample size alert, but Pujols was simply otherwordly this year with the bases loaded. In 21 plate appearances with the sacks drunk, he was hit by a pitch once and had three sacrifice flies, leaving 17 at-bats. In those 17 at-bats, he had 10 hits. Five of them were Grand Slams and three more were doubles. He hit .588/.524/1.647 with the bases loaded, driving in 35 runs. He only struck out once, although he did hit into a double play, too.
Pujols should be a unanimous selection for the award, as should Joe Mauer have been yesterday. There’s really no reason to vote anyone else first. Prince Fielder had a fantastic year for the Brewers, hitting .299/.412/.602 and with 46 homers, and his 141 RBIs tied Ryan Howard for the major-league lead (six better than Pujols) – but did he have a better year than Albert? Nope, and he did it for a team that wasn’t in a pennant race. Howard and Chase Utley will get some votes, for sure, but neither of them were close to Pujols in overall production.
This will be Albert’s second straight MVP, and third in five years. In nine seasons in the majors leagues, it will be the SEVENTH time he’s finished in the top three in MVP balloting and SIXTH time that he’s finished in the top two. He was fourth in his rookie season and ninth in 2007, when he had a great year but the Cardinals finished under .500. Think about that – he’s had a top-9 finish in MVP voting every year of his career. And he doesn’t allegedly turn 30 until January.
We could well be witnessing the greatest hitter in the game’s history, and the rewards will continue to pile up for him over the course of the next decade – starting with some more hardware today.
Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
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MW – Teixeira should be Mauer’s closest competition for the MVP, having led the league in RBIs and shared the league lead in home runs while hitting .292/.383/.565 to finish third in the league in OPS (only 83 points behind Mauer) but really, the only drama there should be right now is whether or not Mauer gets all the first-place votes.
You are bang on with regard to Mauer, but not Teixeira.
Here are the AL leaders in terms of Win Shares which does take into account a players defense and position.
Joe Mauer…….32
Jason Bey…….29
Ichiro Suzuki…28
Derek Jeter…..28
Kevin Youkilis..28
Ben Zobrist…..27
Chone Figgins…26
Zack Grienke….26
F. Heranandez…26
Mark Teixeira…26
Aaron Hill……25
Miguel Cabrera..25
The NL leaders:
Albert Pujols….39
Ryan Braun…….36
Prince Fielder…36
Hanley Ramirez…34
Adrian Gonzalez..34
Chase Utley……32
Pabloe Sandoval..27
Ryan Howard……26
Matt Kemp……..26
Jayson Werth…..26 (thanks JP)
MW: You must have misread. I didn’t say “according to Win Shares, Teixeira should be……”
- stat ladyMaybe Albert got some tips during the “Shaq vs” fiasco show.
He should be the unanimous choice but I have a feeling he won’t be – Ryan Howard get a homer nod from a voter with his poster on his bedroom wall lol
- GaryAny legs to the Stephen Drew to Toronto rumours? If so, what would Toronto be expected to give up, and what kind of hitting numbers do you project Drew to compile over the next few seasons? Were his 2008 numbers an aberration (i.e. more 2Bs, more HRs, better avg.), or is that something to expect from Drew as he enters his peak years? As always, I look forward to your take on this.
MW: Given the Alex Gonzalez and Johnny Mac signings, I’d say there are no legs to it. Drew is a bit of an enigma. He took the league by storm over a third of a season as a rookie, but hasn’t been the same hitter since. He doesn’t come equipped with much of a glove, either.
- Dom from Woodbridgemichael,
the a-rod vs. a-jols
comparison you make mention of here (funny eh.. the 2nd could very well be the nickname of the 1st too) just made up a-jols not bad i think)
anyway, quite the debate on this one. no doubt.
not sure who pick to be on my team if i had to make the choice.
especially when you consider all the other intangibles aside from hitting…., fielding, baserunning etc..
age, health too i guess comes in to it when determining.
who’s your guy michael?
MW: Pujols.
- darrell bishopMike.
I agree with you that Pujols should be named the NL MVP and Joe Mauer deserved the AL MVP yesterday. But what I would like to tell about happened in Buffalo on Sunday.
The Springsteen concert was awesome from start to finish. Some highlights, he surfed the crowd during Hungry Heart, his first album Greetings From Asbury Park NJ was played in its entirety for the first time, Born To Run, 10th Avenue Freeze-Out, Dancing In The Dark and Rosalita sent the crowd to a frenzy, and the last song was John Fogerty’s Rockin’ All Over The World. It was a truly memorable performance and I was so happy I was there to see it. Simply awesome.
Peter, St.Catharines
- PeterHi Mike, quick question, when does Mauer’s & Lincecum’s current contract end??…Thanx
MW: Mauer is a free agent after 2010, but is apparently about to sign a huge extension. Lincecum is under control of the Giants through the end of the 2013 season.
- David F from EtobicokeMike – a good call on your part about the unanimity of the MVP selection for Uncle Albert. He deserves both the cup of tea and the butter pie.
I’m changing my nickname in an attempt to draw WW attention to the injustice of the lack of BHOF-ness attached to Tom Cheek’s name. Hopefully all your faithful bloggers will do their part to vote for Tom in December.
MW: Let’s hope. They all have to join Facebook, though.
- TouchemallJoeMW: And you don’t have to root against Halladay – just root for him to throw eight brilliant innings every time out and lose 1-0.
Geez. If that’s not cheering against a guy, I don’t know what is.
Why not just cheer for the Yankees. After all, if they’re good enough for the Doc why can’t they be good enough for us.
MW: You’re more than welcome to become a Yankee fan.
- stat ladyWell, no WONDER Pujols keeps single-handedly destroying my GameCube baseball team when we play against him…
- James (from the Church of the Double Steal)Thankfully, it was unanimous. For the first time in quite some time, I’m not angered by an award voting.
- Wyatt BaileyOn a bit of a different note… do you believe that Pujols is 29… or is this another one of those age-fudgings. The optimist in me wants to say that this guy is 29. I’m not sure, however, that I buy it.
- Wyatt BaileyAnd how about that Jeremy Affeldt, garnering a 10th place vote. Those 60 inning pitchers with 1.17 WHIP’s should always be mentioned.
And somehow, some way, a voter thought that Chris Coghlan (84R. 9HR, 47RBI, 53BB was the 10th most deserving of MVP.
- Wyatt BaileyYunel Escobar got a fifth place vote, Mike. Yunel Escobar.
Yunel Escobar.
- Wyatt Baileyhey Mike, this question has nothing to do with the topic, because youre right as rain with Pujols. Hes the best.
Concerning the draft, as far as I can tell, the Jays will have the eighth or ninth pick, as the have the fourth worst record in the american league. I just want to clear up some of my questions, the answers to which I couldnt find. The Jays have a winning percentage of .463, third worst, but there are three teams under them. However, they are tied with oakland. so which team drafts first, Oakland or Toronto. As I understand it, the difference is ninth or eleventh. So I’m just wondering how exactly the draft will work. can you explain?
MW: First of all, picks no longer alternate by league. They changed that a few years ago. The Jays, A’s and Padres as all tied, so they go back to 2008 records and rank them that way. The Jays will pick 11th.
- Dave jhey hey hey its fat albert
Mike you were bang on this one!
So mike in the show fat albert and the cosby kids, who was your favorite cosby kid. i always like dumb donald and weird harold…….
MW: I was always a fan of Mushmouth.
- alan peransonHey MW:
When you look at Pojlos’ Career numbers to date do you believe that he did this without ever doping?
MW: Nope.
- mattMW: “Howard and Chase Utley will get some votes, for sure, but neither of them were close to Pujols in overall production.”
If production means offense, then you’re obviously correct. If it means overall value, then I think you are not giving Utley his props. FanGraphs has Pujols at 8.4 WAR and Utley at 7.6. I think that places Utley a lot closer to Pujols than many would imagine.
MVP-voting (and talent evaluation in general) rarely makes the appropriate contextual adjustments for position. The voting is always first baseman-heavy. Middle infielders are always undervalued. Even the disproportionately beloved Derek Jeter finished below his much less valuable teammate first baseman (Jeter’s WAR was 7.3, Teixeira’s was 5.1).
MW: WAR is not the be-all and end-all, though I won’t go so far as to say it’s good for absolutely nothing.
- Chuckhow bout miguel cabrera for jays? if detroit dumps him, he could be a franchise changer…see if rogers will really put up the money
MW: It’s not just about the money, it’s about the kids the Jays would have to give up, but he’d be a good add anywhere, for sure.
- jpMW: This comment came in about 18 hours after Mauer won the MVP.
You know I never realized the MVP award had been announced and Mauer had won before I posted my previous comments. No biggie of course but I can’t help wondering why you would feel the need to point that out – seems kinda “small” to me.
In fact for the most part it is very seldom I get a response back from you Mike on any comments I make and when I do for the most part it is pretty negative for whatever reason. If you would rather I did not conribute let me know – I can still enjoy reading what you have to say and I do enjoy your coverage.
Oh well such is life in the blogging business. Regardless of negative or not – thanks for responding anyway.
MW: Sorry, I didn’t mean to seem small – I just thought it was odd. I mean, you’re online when you comment so you have access to a ton of info if you want it. Anyway, I don’t usually respond to your comments because they’re mostly comments without questions attached, and they tend to stand alone very nicely.
- Bob (from Burllington)According to The Globe, Overbay will be traded at the winter meetings. Will our trading partners expect the Jays to eat some of his salary?
Also, like last July, we are hearing from all the cities where Halladay is in play…This player won’t be part of the deal and that player won’t be part of the deal. The Yankees are apparently willing to part with Joba Chamberlain–and I wouldn’t doubt it–but neither he nor Phil Hughes would be what I would consider appropriate headliners for a Halladay deal. Given that it looks like the BoSox, the Yankees, the Angels and maybe the Dodgers and Phillies are the players, what would be your bottom-line for a trade from these guys? Which package of players would get the job done?
MW: That’s too over-reaching a question to answer. As much as we think we know who is in play, nobody really does. Would Buchholz, Bard and Westmoreland get it done? Probably. Would the Red Sox be willing to offer that? Probably not. Likewise a Hughes/Montero/Jackson package. There will be people involved in the trade that no one has mentioned, there always are. I don’t think the Jays will be interested in eating much of Overbay’s ticket unless there’s a significant return on that investment, player-wise.
- isabella reyesHey Mike,
The Jays have been cutting payroll for almost two years. Now we’re seen in the Star nearly doubling the ticket prices for a wheelchair season ticket subscriber. This, after cutting out fan picnics. What’s next, Paul Godfrey bobble-head giveaways?
MW: Huh?
- stevebtw michael,
and don’t get me wrong not that i think albert p. is in fact an a-jol. i’ve never read or heard that to be true by anyone that covers the game.
just thought it was a clever nickname when grouped together with a-rod who is sometimes regarded as such. of course i don’t know that to be factual as well to be honest.
could easily be blown out of proportion i’m quite sure.
he certainly seems to make poor decisions on good occasion. that much looks to be obvious. but that doesn’t necessarily make him out to be an a-jol does it?
anyway what what do you think micheal? a genuine a-hol this guy a-rod or perhaps more just general misperception or maybe just tragically misunderstood?
MW: We have no clue what any of these people are really like.
- darrell bishopHey Mike,
Do you think Albert has the endurance to play into his 40′s? If so, this man who is somehow half a decade younger than A-Rod has a serious chance to be baseball purists’ saviour in bringing dignity back as the All-Time Home Run Champ—Just as the then unsuspecting A-Fraud-Roid was expected to do when Bonds eclipsed Hammerin’ Hank.
MW: People were saying the same thing about Alex Rodriguez last year. What makes you think Pujols is clean?
- Anthony LPujols obviously deserved it, but I don’t think you can say Chase Utley wasn’t close to him in overall production. A quick look at Fangraphs shows that their WAR wasn’t that far apart…what Utley lacks in the bat (which is quite a bit, I’ll grant you), he more than makes up for with his glove (where he’s worth a full win more than Pujols).
MW: See above.
- matthewBecause Testing is running rampant these days. A-Rod never got slammed for doing roids or any PED’s after the Texas days. You have to be an idiot to do it these days..I.e Palmeiro, Manny, etc. Pujols quite simply would have been caught already if he was dumb enough to do it.
I’m not disclaiming 100% for certain that he didn’t do it b4 the stringent testing began around 05′ and ramped up much more so in the last couple years. Although I still highly doubt he did it 2004 and prior since his numbers have generally only gotten significantly better during the high testing era of today as opposed to the tail-end of the home-run booming era at the beginning of his career
Hey Mike,
Do you think Albert has the endurance to play into his 40’s? If so, this man who is somehow half a decade younger than A-Rod has a serious chance to be baseball purists’ saviour in bringing dignity back as the All-Time Home Run Champ—Just as the then unsuspecting A-Fraud-Roid was expected to do when Bonds eclipsed Hammerin’ Hank.
MW: People were saying the same thing about Alex Rodriguez last year. What makes you think Pujols is clean?
MW: Manny Ramirez was caught just this year, and (I REALLY hate to say this) there’s no evidence to lead one to believe Alex Rodriguez’ stated timetable of drug use. As “rampant” as the testing is – and remember, it was only last year that we found out some players were being tipped off as to when the tests were coming – the cheaters are ALWAYS ahead of the testers. Barry Bonds never failed an MLB-administered drug test.
- Anthony L