With the regular and postseason over, and the hot stove not quite on fire just yet, it’s a perfect time to pick my regular season award winners for the 2008 season. Here are my MVP picks.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
American League: Justin Morneau (1B, MIN) .300 BA, 23 HR, 129 RBI
For the second time in three years, the Twins’ Justin Morneau put together an MVP season. On a team largely dependent on speed, pitching and defense, Morneau led the way offensively with 187 hits, 47 doubles, 23 homers, 129 RBI, and an .873 OPS. The only Twin to play in all 163 games, he was by far the most potent bat in Minnesota’s lineup and carried the team to a surprise appearance in a one-game playoff with the White Sox for the AL Central title. Morneau scored 97 runs and was the only player on the Twins to drive in more than 85 runs, and one of just three Twins to hit double digits in home runs.
Boston’s Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia will certainly give Morneau a run for his money for the MVP. Youkilis batted .312 with 43 doubles, 29 home runs and 115 RBI, and Pedroia led the AL in hits with 213, runs with 118 and doubles with 54, and batted .326 with 17 homers and 83 ribbies. Especially considering Manny Ramirez’s departure and injuries to David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, Youkilis and Pedroia carried the Red Sox offensively, all the way to a Wild Card berth. Youkilis and Pedroia had a better supporting cast than Morneau, even by virtue of having one another—so Morneau is more deserving of the MVP but the two Sox are numbers two and three in my book.
The other contender is Carlos Quentin, who was leading the AL with 36 homers and 100 RBI at the time he went down with a broken wrist and missed the final month of the season. He still ended up leading the White Sox in home runs and RBI, and would have been a better bet for the MVP if he had stayed healthy, but Chicago was a team based on hitting the long ball and he wasn’t the only power force on the team.
National League: Manny Ramirez (OF, LAD) .396 BA, 17 HR, 53 RBI (53 Games)
This is a difficult and interesting choice, not only because of Manny’s limited playing time on the Dodgers, but also because of the competition he’s up against for the award. At the time the Dodgers acquired Manny, they were 54-54 and trailed the Diamondbacks by two games in the NL West. From that point forward, they went 30-24, and won the division by two games. Manny completely changed the scope of L.A.’s offense, and made many players around him better (i.e. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney) by absorbing all the pressure and performing like a superstar. Without Manny Ramirez, it’s questionable whether the Dodgers would have made the playoffs.
Manny’s toughest competitor for the NL MVP is another midseason acquisition, C.C. Sabathia of the Brewers. In 17 starts for Milwaukee, Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and seven complete games. His value to the Brew Crew went beyond just his unbelievable record and his Wild Card-clinching victory in the final game of the season—his complete games saved Milwaukee from needing to turn to its suspect bullpen, and kept the relief pitchers fresher down the stretch. Sabathia pitched three games in September on three days rest and was the main reason the Brewers made the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.
The other contenders are probably more likely to win the award because of their longer tenure with their respective teams, but they are less worthy of MVP distinction. Ryan Howard led the majors with 48 home runs and 146 RBI, and put the Phillies on his back by hitting .352 with 11 homers and 32 ribbies in September, despite just a .251 batting average for the season. He was surely a major reason the Phils overtook the Mets for the division lead, but Brad Lidge’s 41-for-41 achievement in save opportunities was really the difference between October baseball and sitting at home watching the postseason.
Ryan Braun led Milwaukee with a .285 batting average, 37 home runs and 106 RBI, but his .208 September batting average hurts his chances, and Sabathia was truly the most valuable player on the Brewers.
*Statistical information derived from www.Baseball-Reference.com
More recapping the Mets' season on the way, as well as my picks for the rest of the awards.
Keywords: Andre Ethier, Boston Red Sox, Brad Lidge, C.C. Sabathia, Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, James Loney, Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Mike Lowell, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Braun, Ryan Howard
