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David Ortiz has put up the Numbers but being the DH I think has worked against him

2007-09-14 04:02:38 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports Baseball

Also I am a DIE HARD YANKEE FAN.

2007-09-14 04:57:45 · update #1

18 answers

Hey guys! Never say never. You probably aren't old enough to remember Don Baylor, who did it in 1979. He only his .296, 36 HR, 139 RBI, and scored 120 runs. Only one, though. Gonna be real hard in the day of the juiced ball (and player) too many good offensive numbers nowadays.

Remember Baylor really put the Angels on his back that year to lead them to their 1st division title.

He was:

18th in batting avg
10th in doubles (33)
6th in hits (196) Only G. Brett, J. Rice & Buddy Bell had 200+
4th in HR -Gorman Thomas led with 45
17th in OBP (.37119)
10th in Slugging % (.53025)
He did lead in RBI & Runs scored

It USED to be not all about stats, but how much the man meant to his team's success.

2007-09-14 10:07:47 · answer #1 · answered by janeynbruce 3 · 1 0

Let's review the 2005 AL MVP voting.

rank //player // team // 1st-2nd-3rd // ballots // points
1. Alex Rodriguez, NYY - 16 11 1 - 28 - 331
2. David Ortiz, BOS - 11 17 0 - 28 - 307

The only other player named on all 28 ballots was Vlad Guerrero, who finished a distant third with 196 points.

Rodriguez certainly deserved this MVP; Ortiz would have also, and the man was NOT disrespected in the voting -- he was on every ballot and not named lower than second (note that ARod had one third-placer). He simply finished with slightly fewer points, and there is only one winner (1979 excepted). It could have gone either way, and maybe "the DH thing" did work against Ortiz, but if so it certainly wasn't by much -- remember, every ballot, no lower than second, and no one can say Rodriguez was not deserving.

So can a primary DH win MVP? I think so, but it would take a season like Ortiz had (47 HR, 148 RBI, 102 walks, .300/.397/.604, 161 adjOPS) in conjunction with no ARod-like player putting up similar, to do it. It'll happen someday, and a lot of columnists and bloggers and other reprobates will kill many electrons describing how much sand is up their noses because of it.

And, really, that's part of what makes the MVP Awards so much fun. No other awards, within baseball or the lesser sports, even comes close.

----------
re/Baylor 1979 -- his positional breakdown was outfield 97 games (LF 78, RF 19), DH 65 games, first base 1 game. So while he did DH a good bit, it was not his primary position that year. It was more DHing than any other AL MVP since 1973 however.

2007-09-14 15:08:46 · answer #2 · answered by Chipmaker Authentic 7 · 0 1

I don't know, but I definitely think they deserve consideration.

Look at it this way. Speaking from strictly a defensive standpoint, let's say that a guy who plays good defense is a plus, a guy who plays bad defense is a minus, and a DH who plays no defense is neutral.

Last year Ryan Howard hit 58 homers and won the NL MVP. However, he made 14 errors at first base, more than any National League 1st baseman except Nick Johnson. So if a bad fielder can win the MVP, why not a DH? Isn't a neutral better than a minus?

The whole argument about not considering DHs for the MVP because they don't play defense doesn't hold water, because let's be realistic, only hitting stats are taken into account.

I know a lot of times the MVP happens to be a good fielder anyway, but not always. And how often do you hear anyone mention fielding percentage when discussing MVP candidates?

However I will say that this particular year, assuming the Yankees win the wild card, it should go to A-Rod.

2007-09-14 12:06:37 · answer #3 · answered by bencas9900 4 · 0 1

The American League wants it both ways they want higher run totals but they don't repect a guy that just do it with the bat.
David Ortiz isn't a better player than A-Rod period he has the numbers but I do think he is more valuable to his team. He is the most clutch player in the majors right now. Without Papi the Red Sox would be tied for first with the Yankees or in second place he should win the MVP. It's a shame the person who is a DH will have to win a triple crown to win it.

2007-09-14 11:29:05 · answer #4 · answered by elfabuluso 2 · 1 0

One would need a truly exceptional season. Ortiz had one, but it's not called 2007.

Although, I am still of the mind that a DH does help the team defensively by not being on the field. If Ortiz did insist on fielding, would the Red Sox have to comply? Probably.
Would that be a determent to the Red Sox?? Definitely.

So, Ortiz does help the Red Sox defense by not insisting on playing.

It's a rough sell though.

2007-09-14 11:33:07 · answer #5 · answered by brettj666 7 · 0 1

I honestly don't think it will happen. David Ortiz was as close as any will ever get I think. I agree with Ozgard that maybe there should be a separate award for DH of the year. But that won't happen because the NL doesnt use DH.

2007-09-14 12:35:05 · answer #6 · answered by Red Sox lover 6 · 0 1

Ortiz has put up numbers, however, everybody knows that his defense really stinks. If he were in the field, he'd be a bigger liability than Manny, and that's saying something. That's definitely worked against him. If a DH who can actually field a position decently puts up the numbers, than he could win it, or even if he splits time at DH and another position, that would still be good enough.

2007-09-14 12:19:39 · answer #7 · answered by baseball_is_my_life 6 · 0 1

Edgar Martinez (the man the award is named after)

1995- .356 avg, 29HR, 116 RBI, 116 BB, 52 doubles, .479 OBP, .628 slugging, 321 total bases. Won the AL batting title

He propelled them through the season to their first playoff appearance ever, picking up the slack for a hurt Ken Griffey Jr. Finished third in MVP voting

The winner? Mo Vaughn- .300 avg, 39 HR, 126 RBI, 68 BB, 28 doubles, .388 OBP, .575 slugging, 316 total bases.

Plus Vaughn was a HORRIBLE fielder.

So if Edgar didn't win it then, I don't see much hope of getting rid of the DH bias.

For those of you who don't think the DH helps a team win, Here are Edgars 1995 ALDS statistics.

.571 avg, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 12 hits, 6 BB, .667 OBP, 1.000 slugging

Not only did he have the 10th inning double to score Griffey from first and win it, they wouldn't have even been in Game 5 without him

2007-09-14 11:28:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2 1

yeah... most voters go for guys who plays both sides of the plate. It will be super difficult for players like David Ortiz to win the MVP.

2007-09-14 11:09:59 · answer #9 · answered by Thomas 5 · 1 0

Only if A-Rod moves to DH next year...oooo burn Red Sox fans...wait....I am a Red Sox fan...crap....anyway...I don't think a DH will win unless there is no one even close to him in numbers...so it is possible but because the voters are pretty biased against the DH he would pretty much have to win the triple crown to be MVP.

2007-09-14 11:16:19 · answer #10 · answered by JT-24 6 · 4 1

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