American League MVP is.....?

Question

Joe Mauer, I'm a Metfan from Jersey and all I hear is Ortiz and Jeter. Mauer is a CATCHER again I'll say it a CATCHER! He has the best avg. best on-base, 27 doubles, 10 hr. Papi does great but he's a DH no way I'm giving the MVP to a DH.. Jeter is having a great year at short but I just think what Mauer's doing in Minn is awesome. Manny deserves some talk also!

Answer 1

I'm glad to hear there is someone who gets it...The AL MVP talk should be between Joe Mauer and Jermaine Dye...David Ortiz is the third best DH in the AL behind Travis Hafner and Jim Thome...Derek Jeter is at best the third best "all around" shortstop in the AL, yep defense does count!!...I'm getting tired of posting the numbers every night to prove my point. Intelligent baseball fans can and will look it up, the rest wouldn't be able to figure it out anyway...

Ok "skeeto" just for you - crush this - Hafner and Thome do the same damn thing as Ortiz, DH and play first....

Travis Hafner - BA-310 OB%-436 SLG-660 OPS-1096
Jim Thome - BA-294 OB%-413 SLG-615 OPS-1028
David Ortiz - BA-285 OB%-399 SLG-626 OPS-1025

Manny Ramirez - BA-328 OB%-443 SLG-632 OPS-1075

Manny Ramirez is much better than Ortiz and even though he is a terrible left fielder at least he plays defense on a daily basis...

Answer 2

Manny deserves some talk but thats about it. How can you give the MVP to a player that doesnt play hard all the time, that jogs everywhere and is basically there for the money. I also agree that despite Ortiz having a great season he is a DH and doesn't have to deal with the pressures of playing on the field and puttin up numbers on the plate. I haven't seen Mauer play but I would say Jeter should get it. He's been through it all this year and yet still seemed to know what to do to pull his team through it. He is putting up numbers on the field and at the plate and seems to be pulling through with the clutch hits more this season than any before along with his usual "out of this world" plays at short that it seems only he can make.

My vote is definetly for Jeter!

Answer 3

Mauer is definitely a valid option here, and I got him as a very strong #2 for a few reason. First, I'm a Yanks fan so DJ has got to win it. Second, it doesn't matter how many home runs you hit, it matters if you are playing in October or just chillin at home. New York will be playing in October, Boston will not. You are not valuable if your team does not make the playoffs. That is why I was pissed A-Rod won it with Texas. They finished last. That was a big mistake. Mauer is a very good choice for MVP, but they have to make the playoffs. If they do, he has a strong chance, but voters might take a different angle on this. They might say that Minnesota is so friekin good, that Mauer might not even be the best player. Justin Morneau is a solid option from that team too, because of how ridiculously hot he has gotten in the second half. I don't really know this far, but I really don't want Ortiz to win because he doesn't deserve it (even though I'd love to have him on my team, he is a great hitter.)

I hope the Twins see October so both Sox fans can shut up - White and Red.

Answer 4

While Mauer is having a tremendous season, I tend to doubt that he is even the most valuable player on the Twins (I would put Morneau ahead of him, and you could argue that Santana, Liriano and even Joe Nathan have played a bigger role in Minnesota's success this year). Dye plays every game in the same lineup as Thome, Konerko, and Crede - remove him and Chicago still wins (just look what the ChiSox did to Detroit today without Thome, who has comparable numbers to Dye). Jeter probably leads most experts' lists for MVP, and deservedly so - he has been the catalyst for the Yankees yet again this year, and they continue to win even after losing Sheffield and Matsui to injuries. But Big Papi has got to be the MVP, even if he doesn't play in the field (which is better than being a defensive liability, like Jeter is - he may not make errors, but he has one of the worst ranges of all major league shortstops). His power numbers are tops in the league and he is far and away the most feared hitter in clutch situations - if not for him, there is no way Boston overcomes their pitching woes and stays in the wild card race. And this isn't East Coast bias talking - I am a Michigander, and a die hard Tigers fan, and as much as I would love to see an AL Central player win it (Justin Verlander anyone?) Ortiz and Jeter are probably the most deserving.

Answer 5

I think either Mauer or Verlander for the Tigers but I have a problem giving the MVP to a pitcher. I have to agree with you on the Ortiz the DH too how can a guy who an average of plays an inning an a 1/3 a game win MVP (4 at bats per game average 3 at bats per inning) and have no defensive skills at all.

Answer 6

I think it should go to the player who is the most important to his TEAM. So even though I'm a Yankee fan, I'll admit Ortiz deserves consideration. Then there is Jeter. Then there is Dye, Morneu, Hafner and Mauer. Quite simply, the Red Sox and Yanks have too many weapons, so Ortiz and Jeter are out. Minnesota plays team baseball, so Morneau is out. Hafner is having a great year, but that team has good hitters all around. Out. So it comes down to Dye and Maur. I'd say Dye wins a close one.

Answer 7

Mauer, with a slight edge over Jeter. jeter plays the toughest defensive position. BUT... Mauer is an EVERYDAY catcher which is rare, especially in the A.L. BUT, let's not forget that as the pitcher, he calls the game and catches the nasty stuff thrown by Soriano, Nathan, and (when healthy) Liriano, etc.

ORTIZ, oh please. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. PLAYER, as in play defense. play the field. NOT sit and wait for his at bat and watching 90 % of the game action.

Ortiiz deserves ackowledgement... but a DH should NEVER win MVP. EVER. It's bad enough that these part-time guys are getting into the Hall of Fame, when they don't even shag flies, or field ground balls.

Answer 8

im hearing alot of morneau and mauer and jeter, but what has determined the MVP atleast the past few years? Home Runs, and who is leading the MLB in Homers? David Ortiz, yes i know he is DH so he doesnt play "the whole game" but he has the most homers and is the MVP for the Sox, without him the sox would not b where they r today, if the yankees lost jeter they would still do good cause there whole team is full of all stars, and the Twins would still do good without mauer or morneua b/c there hitting doesnt give their teams win, their pitching staff does.

Answer 9

A lot of people were saying before the Yankees clobbered the Red Sox that whoever went to the postseason, Jeter or Ortiz, would be the MVP. Well we all know the answer to who will make the playoffs is Jeter. Duh. But I can't see how you rule Mauer out of the race. I still think Jeter should win, but not many people are talking about Mauer, which upsets me. And thank god someone said it DH'S ARE NOT MVP'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

I think Mauer is tremendous. If the Twins make the playoffs and he has a great postseason, it would certainly help him. I think Ortiz may win this year. It's hard to vote against this clutch hitter. Jeter has been great for a long time and this could be the Yankees year to win the whole thing. Jermaine Dye with Chicago is also having a great year. I think it will be Ortiz if he ends up hitting 55 HRs or so, which is very possible.