Last year's MVP discussion was a debate between traditionalists and sabermetricians. In the end, the traditionalists (correctly) won out, as Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown defeated Mike Trout's rookie season pretty handily. Well, here we go again. Cabrera didn't win the Triple Crown this season, but his overall numbers might've been just a little bit better. Meanwhile, Trout had no sophomore slump. He put together another solid season with numbers that continue to make the sabermetrics community go gaga over him.
Where I stood on Cabrera vs. Trout last year was pretty clear. And my stance hasn't changed this year. I love Mike Trout as a player. He's going to be an MVP one day. But he wasn't last year. And he shouldn't be this year. As good as Mike Trout is, the Angels have been a third-place team ever since he arrived in Anaheim. Last year my argument against Trout was more about not discounting the merits of what Cabrera did. This year I'm basing it on that fact. Trout's a great player, but the Angels finished third with him and would've finished third without him.
Of course, I'm going to seemingly go against my own argument here, but I can't go without singing the praises of the third guy in this race. The Orioles' Chris Davis had a breakout season that was simply extraordinary. He challenged Roger Maris' American League record for home runs for a little while, ending up with 53 and also edging Cabrera by one RBI, 138-137. Of course, the Orioles also finished third. But Davis had a better season than Trout and deserves more MVP consideration for a couple reasons. First, third place in the AL East is very different than third in the AL West. Baltimore was in the playoff hunt for most of the season, while the Angels were out of it in July. Davis was the main reason why. And, frankly, his numbers were too good to ignore.
That brings me to Miguel Cabrera, who was my choice last year and is my choice again this year. And not just because he's the best player in the game. How do you follow up a Triple Crown season? By threatening to win another one. Even though he didn't make history with back-to-back Triple Crowns, Miggy's numbers were even better this year. A .348 average, 44 home runs and 137 RBIs. He led the AL in average and finished second to Davis in the other two categories. And let's not forget two other things...he played injured throughout the month of September and the Tigers made the playoffs. Neither the Orioles nor the Angels can say that.
Cabrera and Davis were a clear 1-2 for a majority of the season, but I think Miguel Cabrera's play stands out above the others. Sure, he's the best player in baseball. But just being the best player isn't enough to make you an MVP. Miguel Cabrera, however, found some way to back up a historic season by having an even better year statistically. While ending the season playing hurt. For a playoff team. That, my friends, is an MVP.
In the National League, the debate is a much more valid one. Both Yadier Molina and Andrew McCutchen are incredibly deserving. I have no idea which one is going to win. I predict this will be the closest race of the eight awards this week.
If you were basing it strictly on the numbers, you'd have an incredibly valid argument for the third finalist, Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt. The Diamondbacks were surprising contenders this season, finishing second in the NL West. And Goldschmidt had perhaps the best statistical season of any National League position players. He led the league in both home runs (36) and RBIs (125) while playing Gold Glove defense at first base. Clearly deserving of his bronze medal in this MVP race.
At the All*Star Break, I pegged Yadier Molina as my midseason NL MVP, and he probably would've remained my choice had he not missed a couple weeks in July-August. Yadier Molina's value to the Cardinals can't always be tangibly measured. But there's no question how valuable he is. On a team that uses more young players than anybody, Yadier Molina's the one constant. And I don't think there's any question how important he is to that pitching staff. Tony La Russa once said that he didn't care how Yadier Molina hit. He was going to be his catcher anyway. Well, this year Yadi hit .316, which was fourth-best in the National League, crushed 44 doubles, and had an NL-best 80 RBIs. For a 97-win team that advanced to the World Series. I'd have absolutely no problem with Yadier Molina being named NL MVP.
My choice, however, is the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen. All of those intangible values I praised about Molina are equally prevalent in McCutchen. He wasn't among the National League leaders in anything this season. But I also don't think there's anybody who'd question Andrew McCutchen's importance to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's the face of the franchise, and this year he finally got his due recognition, as the Pirates finally had not just a winning season, a playoff season. McCutchen's a five-tool player, which was on full display in 2013. A .317 average, 21 homers, 84 RBIs, 38 doubles, a Gold Glove-caliber center field.
None of that's why McCutchen's my pick, though. By the very narrowest of margins, I think his value to the Pirates was slightly more than Molina's to the Cardinals. Even without Yadier Molina, the Cardinals would still be a very good team. The Pirates, though, had an incredible turnaround this season. That turnaround was a few years in the making, and Andrew McCutchen has been the one guy at the heart of it. Everything came together in Pittsburgh this season. Andrew McCutchen was one of the biggest reasons why. For changing the baseball culture in a city that had known nothing but losing for 20 years, Andrew McCutchen deserves to be named National League Most Valuable Player.
AL: 1-Cabrera; 2-Davis; 3-Robinson Cano; 4-Dustin Pedroia; 5-Trout; 6-Josh Donaldson; 7-Max Scherzer; 8-Jason Kipnis; 9-Adrian Beltre; 10-Mariano Rivera
NL: 1-McCutchen; 2-Molina; 3-Goldschmidt; 4-Hanley Ramirez; 5-Freddie Freeman; 6-Clayton Kershaw; 7-Brandon Phillips; 8-Carlos Beltran; 9-Michael Cuddyer; 10-Matt Carpenter
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