This Week in Baseball 8/25 - 8/31

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Joe Mauer shouldn't be an MVP candidate, at least not in my mind. He hits for a high average, and plays excellent defensively, but drives in very few runs and maybe this is just my perception as I can't really follow the twins that closely, but it seems like he takes a lot of days off, even for a catcher.

 

Quentin is definitely the MVP. Czech is completely right that MVP should come from a winning team, but fuck, let's pretend just for the sake of argument that both the Indians and White Sox have identical records and are good teams. Quentin has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, hits for a higher average, and has a better OBP. Quentin is having a better season.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

For the record, Ben Francisco and Kenny Lofton are putting up decent numbers.

 

There goes someone's credibility.

[Brett Favre 0]

Ok for starters, you can't say that Sizemore is playing against tougher opponents than Hamilton, then point to bad production from people on the Indians when they have to play the same tough opposition whereas Bradley and co. enjoys the "easier" schedule. And since when is Anaheim an easy opponent?

 

For the record, Ben Francisco and Kenny Lofton are putting up decent numbers. Stop whining about Francisco.

 

They don't have the same tough opposition. The Indians play the White Sox, Tigers, and Twins more often than the Rangers while they play the A's and Mariners more often than the Indians. I'll give you the Angels, but I don't think that evens it out.

 

Lofton hasn't played for Cleveland. Please, the protection ain't even close.

 

Quentin is definitely the MVP. Czech is completely right that MVP should come from a winning team, but fuck, let's pretend just for the sake of argument that both the Indians and White Sox have identical records and are good teams. Quentin has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, hits for a higher average, and has a better OBP. Quentin is having a better season.

 

More runs: You need people to drive you in.

 

HRs: Ok, but Quentin hits in a HR hitting park.

 

RBI: Grady Sizemore is the leadoff hitter.

 

Better OBP: By like what? Not enough to offset defense, and stolen bases, which really add to Grady's slugging percentage by turning singles into doubles.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Nevermind. I saw his average but nothing else. Strike Lofton from the record, but all I want is the admission that Sizemore isn't this clear cut blowaway favorite that Brooklyn Zoo seems to think.

 

And I don't think you read my opposition statement correctly...

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The Cubs haven't been this many games over .500 since 1945.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Quentin is definitely the MVP. Czech is completely right that MVP should come from a winning team, but fuck, let's pretend just for the sake of argument that both the Indians and White Sox have identical records and are good teams. Quentin has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, hits for a higher average, and has a better OBP. Quentin is having a better season.

 

Why would you discount Kevin Youkilis? He's basically right there with Quentin in OBP, OPS and VORP, plays for a better team and contributes Gold Glove defense. I'd take him over Quentin any day.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Just imagine what the Diamondbacks' offense would be like if they could snag a player like Carlos Quentin. He'd probably carry a pretty hefty price tag, though.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

The White Sox are in the pennant race because they hit home runs. Carlos Quentin does this the best, he's the MVP. This is really shoddy logic and a completely flawed argument of me to make, but I'm lazy.

 

In news that only devo, naiwf, NYU and I care about, Wilmer Flores got promoted for the second time in two days (although the first promotion was from one rookie league to another, not sure if that's really a "promotion") and went 3 for 4 with a double and a run batted in in his debut with Brooklyn tonight. I remind you he turned 17 three weeks ago. This makes me smile.

 

EDIT: I'm not exactly sure why I'm discounting Youkilis, I can't exactly find a good reason. Back to Sizemore though, we really do have to exclude him from mvp talks because of his teams record. I mean, if we're going to completely exclude records, what about Aubrey Huff and his 29 home runs and 94 rbi? You see what I'm saying?

[garfieldsnose 0]

Man, phils had it. They had it. Fuckin ass.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Quentin is definitely the MVP. Czech is completely right that MVP should come from a winning team, but fuck, let's pretend just for the sake of argument that both the Indians and White Sox have identical records and are good teams. Quentin has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, hits for a higher average, and has a better OBP. Quentin is having a better season.

 

Why would you discount Kevin Youkilis? He's basically right there with Quentin in OBP, OPS and VORP, plays for a better team and contributes Gold Glove defense. I'd take him over Quentin any day.

 

What a shock. A Red Sox fan that thinks his team's player is better than other players. Mark that down as a first.

[jimmy no nose 0]

AL MVP voting this year is going to be all over the place. Even moreso than usual. I think Quentin and Youklis end up 1 and 2 in some order, but first and second place votes are going to be spread all over the place. Hamilton, Rodriguez, Bradley, Mauer, Sizemore, Pedroia, Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and probably someone from the Angels (although I can't think of who it would be; K-Rod?) will probably get consideration in those spots from different voters.

[Brett Favre 0]

EDIT: I'm not exactly sure why I'm discounting Youkilis, I can't exactly find a good reason. Back to Sizemore though, we really do have to exclude him from mvp talks because of his teams record. I mean, if we're going to completely exclude records, what about Aubrey Huff and his 29 home runs and 94 rbi? You see what I'm saying?

 

Because Baltimore is still a good offensive team without him.

 

And excluding someone because of record is retarded.

 

BTW, Huff can't play defense for shit, so that can be another reason.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Quentin is definitely the MVP. Czech is completely right that MVP should come from a winning team, but fuck, let's pretend just for the sake of argument that both the Indians and White Sox have identical records and are good teams. Quentin has more runs, home runs, runs batted in, hits for a higher average, and has a better OBP. Quentin is having a better season.

 

Why would you discount Kevin Youkilis? He's basically right there with Quentin in OBP, OPS and VORP, plays for a better team and contributes Gold Glove defense. I'd take him over Quentin any day.

 

What a shock. A Red Sox fan that thinks his team's player is better than other players. Mark that down as a first.

 

Oh, whatever. I've always been level-headed when it comes to this stuff. I would have taken Sabathia over Beckett for the Cy last year. A-Rod was the MVP over Ortiz in '05. I hardly prop up my guys.

 

Youkilis would probably get my MVP vote right now, but I could still go Quentin, Sizemore, Lee or A-Rod depending on how September goes.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

It's just...Youkilis plays an easier position than Quentin, and is older than Quentin by at least 3 years. Sure, his defense is superb, but if I was an owner or general manager, I don't see how Youkilis is that much clear cut better than Quentin to the point you'd take him over Quentin "any day". But hey, each man is entitled their own opinions.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Dude, Quentin plays the easiest position on the field.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

It's just...Youkilis plays an easier position than Quentin, and is older than Quentin by at least 3 years. Sure, his defense is superb, but if I was an owner or general manager, I don't see how Youkilis is that much clear cut better than Quentin to the point you'd take him over Quentin "any day". But hey, each man is entitled their own opinions.

 

I was tyring to say that I would take him over Quentin for MVP, not if I was building a team.

 

Don't get me wrong, Quentin's great. It's just that in terms of a Most Valuable Player, I'd give the edge to Youks. The offensive numbers are almost identical, but Youkilis plays GG defense at first (which is harder than Left) and subs when needed at third. To me that has a tiny bit more value.

[jwest27 0]

At least we can all agree that Albert Pujols is the NL MVP.

 

/Cardinals fan

[Guest WhackingCockDick]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/media/video.js...77&c_id=chc

 

He's building his case.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

The NL is just as wide open as the AL. The Mets have 3 legit candidates, Chase Utley deserves consideration, Pujols and to a lesser extend Ludwick, Aramis Ramirez, maybe even Sabbathia and Brandon Webb get some votes.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The NL is just as wide open as the AL. The Mets have 3 legit candidates, Chase Utley deserves consideration, Pujols and to a lesser extend Ludwick, Aramis Ramirez, maybe even Sabbathia and Brandon Webb get some votes.

 

No way. Pujols should win the thing going away.

 

Pujols has the best avg, obp, and slg. He plays GG defense and he's keeping a mediocre team in playoff contention. Those other guys are having good years, but nothing even approaching Pujols.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Why must we go through this winning team/MVP nonsense every single season? Sizemore's a solid choice, maybe #2 behind Alex Rodriguez. Sizemore leads the league in runs created and may win a gold glove. That spells the best player in the league, in my book. I guess maybe if he convinced Travis Hafner to hit better than .217, he'd be an MVP. Carlos Quintin would've.

[treble 0]

The Jays traded Matt Stairs to the Phillies and called up Travis Snider. I'm not sure I understand bringing up Snider this early, but whatever.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Aramis Ramirez is easily one of the most underrated players in the NL, if not all of baseball. He consistently puts up great power numbers, gets on base, and his defense has improved tremendously since his days in a Pirates uniform.

[Guest WhackingCockDick]

Why must we go through this winning team/MVP nonsense every single season? Sizemore's a solid choice, maybe #2 behind Alex Rodriguez. Sizemore leads the league in runs created and may win a gold glove. That spells the best player in the league, in my book. I guess maybe if he convinced Travis Hafner to hit better than .217, he'd be an MVP. Carlos Quintin would've.

You're still on the Alex Rodriguez thing? Cheech just convincingly quantified his choking. I don't think you're going to see a great deal of MVP votes for Sizemore, a player who is the best on what's probably going to be a 78-win team. "Obviously not valuable enough," said the sportswriter. Plus, Cliff Lee is a lock for the Cy Young. Both player awards are not going to a crappy team.

 

Pujols is my choice for NL MVP.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Jays traded Matt Stairs to the Phillies and called up Travis Snider. I'm not sure I understand bringing up Snider this early, but whatever.

 

 

Travis Snider is a wonderful prospect, but he's also a 20-year old who's just barely managing an .800 OPS in his first year above A-ball. Why would the Jays think he's ready? Why even start his service clock now? Doesn't seem like the right move to me, but maybe they know something we don't.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

You're still on the Alex Rodriguez thing? Cheech just convincingly quantified his choking. I don't think you're going to see a great deal of MVP votes for Sizemore, a player who is the best on what's probably going to be a 78-win team. "Obviously not valuable enough," said the sportswriter. Plus, Cliff Lee is a lock for the Cy Young. Both player awards are not going to a crappy team.

 

Convincingly? He didn't mention that the .282 Bases Loaded OPS came in 11 plate appearances. ELEVEN! If you want to prove that anyone is unclutch, you could probably find a statistic to do it with. You're smarter than this.

 

The Indians are 65-67 right now. This is not the Orioles or the Royals, this is a team with a history of success who could very well clear .500 this year. If they finish with say, 83-85 wins the losing team argument is much harder to make. As for the Cy Young, I can't see the voting influencing one another. Since they do 1-2-3-etc. balloting, there is less chance of that than there is if they just had one vote and done.

 

As an aside, looking for a MVP/Cy Young combo I saw Steve Bedrosian in 1987. A closer on a sub-.500 team winning the Cy Young? What the heck was up with THAT?

 

Travis Snider is a wonderful prospect, but he's also a 20-year old who's just barely managing an .800 OPS in his first year above A-ball. Why would the Jays think he's ready? Why even start his service clock now? Doesn't seem like the right move to me, but maybe they know something we don't.

 

I could be wrong on this, but doesn't service time in September not count?

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Travis Snider is a wonderful prospect, but he's also a 20-year old who's just barely managing an .800 OPS in his first year above A-ball. Why would the Jays think he's ready? Why even start his service clock now? Doesn't seem like the right move to me, but maybe they know something we don't.

 

I could be wrong on this, but doesn't service time in September not count?

 

You know what... I have no idea. I just assumed that it did. You have to be on the 40-man to be eligible for a September call-up. Any idea why it wouldn't count?

 

Convincingly? He didn't mention that the .282 Bases Loaded OPS came in 11 plate appearances. ELEVEN! If you want to prove that anyone is unclutch, you could probably find a statistic to do it with. You're smarter than this.

 

There were other statistics cited, including the 2 late-inning RBIs, the GIDPs and the fact that his WPA number this year is a measly .69. That's just ridiculously low for a guy who hits as well as he does. Whether or not A-Rod is clutch is irrelevant. He's arguably been the worst pressure performer in baseball this year and that's had a negative impact on this team's record. That has to be factored in to any argument that tries to assess value.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Oh, and it looks like Josh Beckett will have some company at Dr. James Andrews' facility. JD Drew and Sean Casey are going to see him too.

 

Wow, this season is just looking better and better. Next thing you know Clay Buchholz will be diagnosed with cancer.

 

EDIT: Disregard the first paragraph. ESPNews screwed up. Casey and Drew are seeing other doctors, not Andrews.

 

EDIT #2: Beckett is going to the DL, but the elbow is structurally sound, according to Andrews. Francona is confident he can pitch again this season.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Buster Olney says it's Fabio Castro to the Jays for Matt Stairs. I like Castro, but he's the kind of player you don't sweat giving up for a big missing piece.

[jimmy no nose 0]

Travis Snider is a wonderful prospect, but he's also a 20-year old who's just barely managing an .800 OPS in his first year above A-ball. Why would the Jays think he's ready? Why even start his service clock now? Doesn't seem like the right move to me, but maybe they know something we don't.

 

I could be wrong on this, but doesn't service time in September not count?

 

You know what... I have no idea. I just assumed that it did. You have to be on the 40-man to be eligible for a September call-up. Any idea why it wouldn't count?

The service time counts, but it's calculated daily, so just being up for September isn't a huge deal. I believe it also uses up an option though, which is the bigger issue. The Blue Jays probably don't anticipate bouncing him up and down from the majors once he makes it up for real.