Three of them are pretty clear cut, IMO. NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum NL MVP: Albert Pujols (even with the Cards now out of contention) AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee What's tricky is the AL MVP. There is no clear front-runner. I actually want Lee to win it, but that's not going to happen. There's Hamilton, who has tailed off and is not a serious contender anymore. There's Quentin, who broke his wrist and probably can't win it like this. There's Pedroia, who could end up getting it by default. There's K-Rod, who absolutely does not deserve it. The best team in baseball doesn't have one player. They have a lot of good players. No one of them can be singled out for this award. Same for Tampa Bay. Morneau would have to get some consideration as well.
soto is just about a lock for NL ROY. I think pedroia takes AL MVP and Ithink he deserves it. 2nd in average, 19th in slugging, 15th in SB, with only 1 CS, 27th in RBI, 1st in doubles, 1st in hits, 1st in runs,and he's the best defender of the candidates.
Ryan Howard and his 146RBIs should get a look. Had the Mets gotten in last night, I think Santana would have given Lincecum a run in the voting.
I'm not sure I understand how RBI is a useless stat but forgetting about the number of RBIs he had, the fact that he carried the Phils down the stretch to a division title should be enough to win the MVP.
American League: Cy Young: Cliff Lee (CLE) MVP: Joe Mauer (MIN) ( I think Mauer should win it, but if the Twins don't make the playoffs, I think Dustin Pedroia will). Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria (TB) Reliever of the Year - K-Rod (LAA) Manager of the Year - Joe Maddon (TB) National League: Cy Young: Tim Lincecum (I would give Sabathia a look, but Lincecum put up the numbers he did on such a bad Giants team). MVP: Either Ryan Howard or Ryan Braun, undecided right now, probably Ryan Howard because of his September numbers. Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto (CHI) Reliever of the Year - Brad Lidge (PHI) Manager of the Year - Lou Piniella (CHI) How about Comeback Player of the Year? AL: Mike Mussina (NYY) NL: Carlos Delgado (NYM)
It's useless because it depends almost entirely on what teammates do. A guy can rack up RBI hitting behind a couple on base machines even if he sucks, and other guys can hit 100 doubles and have a low RBI total because the guys in front of them are not getting on base.
Maybe I'm biased, but I'll take Santana for the Cy Young. He led the league in ERA and IP, which I find pretty impressive, and he would have 20 wins with a decent bullpen. Lincecum was awesome, but I think Johan deserves it. I wouldn't give CC the Cy Young, but I would definitely consider him for MVP because I don't think there are any obvious choices there. Same goes for Brad Lidge. On the AL, Cliff Lee and Pedroia I think.
You need runs to win games right? RBIs are runs batted in right? I agree that it isn't a stat to completely judge a player by but it is by no means a useless stat either.
RBI is useless for the same reason wins are useless for a pitcher. They aren't useless to a team, but it's a COMPLETELY useless means by which to judge the value of a player.
I can't believe you are going to try this argument. This is absurd. Of course it's contingent upon what others do, one can argue ALL stats in teams sports are. The fact of the matter is that the guy who racks up the RBIs is executing in these sitations. The guy batting 8th in the lineup is batting 8th for a reason, the guy batting 4th-5th-6th has shown an aptitude for getting such hits accounting for the disparity on the aforementioned spots in the lineup. PS - Isn't it common knowledge baseball lineups are structured a certain way? Batters 1-2 are set up men for batter 4, 3rd being the best, all-around hitter int he lineup. Therefore, #4 statistically has the best opportunity to get RBIs, you are arguing against probability here.
More often than not a W for a pitcher (specifically apply this argument to a starter) represents the fact that the pitcher put his team in the position to win the game on a given night. Now, are there instances when the team helps the pitcher by supporting sub-par pitching with offense, of course, but the argument works inverse as well, good pitching bails out sub-par offense. The fact of the matter is, the good pitcher will overcome and get the W. Saying that wins are arbitrary stats and useless to use as a barometer for a pitcher's success or worth, for that matter, is also an absurd argument. Of course, I will defer to anamalies, like Jose Lima who wins 18 one year and drops 21 the next, but such cases are exceptions.
Ryan Howard is the AntiA-Rod RBI's means situational hitting. Buckling down and being better when it counts. Would it be nice if Howard hit .300+ all the time? Sure, but it's sure better to do it when he does, as opposed to Mister Solo Shot in the Bronx. With that said, I would be satisfied with either him or Pujols as MVP.
