AL MVP: Dustin Pedroia (1 Viewer)

[David Yudkin]

Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox 16 6 4 1 — — — — — — 317

Justin Morneau Minnesota Twins 7 7 6 3 3 1 1 — — — 257

Kevin Youkilis Boston Red Sox 2 4 4 9 2 4 1 2 — — 201

Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins 2 8 1 3 4 3 3 2 1 — 188

Carlos Quentin Chicago White Sox — 1 4 8 4 4 4 — 1 1 160

Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels 1 2 6 1 6 — 3 2 — 2 143

Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers — — 2 2 3 7 3 2 4 3 112

Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees — — — — 1 1 4 1 4 7 45

Carlos Pena Tampa Bay Rays — — 1 — 2 — 2 3 2 3 44

Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians — — — — — 2 1 5 6 1 42

Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays — — — — — 2 2 5 2 1 38

Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians — — — 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 24

Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers — — — — — 1 — 1 4 1 17

Vladimir Guerrero Los Angeles Angels — — — — — — 2 2 1 — 16

Jermaine Dye Chicago White Sox — — — — 1 — — 2 — 2 14

Aubrey Huff Baltimore Orioles — — — — — 1 — — 2 3 12

Milton Bradley Texas Rangers — — — — — 1 1 — — — 9

Jason Bartlett Tampa Bay Rays — — — — 1 — — — — — 6

Mike Mussina New York Yankees — — — — — — — 1 — — 3

Raul Ibanez Seattle Mariners — — — — — — — — — 1 1

Ian Kinsler Texas Rangers — — — — — — — — — 1 1

Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners — — — — — — — — — 1 1

Mark Teixeira Los Angeles Angels — — — — — — — — — 1 1

 

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wow.

 

[David Yudkin]

PEDROIA AL MVP, 1 YEAR AFTER ROOKIE TRIUMPH

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had an historic victory in winning the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Award in balloting by the BBWAA. Pedroia is the first AL second baseman to win the award in 49 years and only the third player to be named MVP the year after being elected Rookie of the Year.

Pedroia, who led the league in runs (118), hits (213) doubles (54) and multi-hit games (61), received 16 first-place votes from the 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city. Pedroia was listed second on six ballots, third on four and fourth on one for a total of 317 points, based on a tabulation system rewarding 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau (.300, 23 HR, 129 RBI), the 2006 winner, received seven first-place votes and was the runner-up with 257 points. Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis (.312, 29 HR, 115 RBI) got two first-place votes and finished third with 201 points. Morneau and Youkilis were the only players named on all ballots.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer (.328, 9 HR, 85 RBI) also was first on two ballots and ranked fourth with 188 points. The other first-place vote went to Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (2-3, 2.24 ERA, 62 SV), who totaled 143 points and finished sixth, behind Chicago White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin (.288, 36 HR, 100 RBI), who had 160 points.

Rounding out the top 10 were Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton (.304, 32 HR, 130 RBI), New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez (.302, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 R), the 2007 winner, Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena (.247, 31 HR, 102 RBI) and Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore (.268, 33 HR, 90 RBI, 101 R, 38 SB). In all, 23 players gained mention.

Pedroia, 25, batted .326, second only to Mauer, with 17 home runs, 83 RBI and 20 stolen bases for the Red Sox, who were the AL wild-card team. He struck out only 52 times in 710 plate appearances.

As the previous year's Rookie of the Year, Pedroia this year matched the feat in the AL of Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., who was the Rookie of the Year in 1982 and MVP in 1983, and in the National League of Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, who was the Rookie of the Year in 2005 and MVP in 2006. Two other AL players won both awards in the same season, Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn in 1975 and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

Pedroia became the 20th former Rookie of the Year to be named MVP, the seventh in the AL. Other than Ripken, Lynn and Suzuki, former AL Rookie of the Year winners who later were MVPs were Rod Carew, Thurman Munson and Jose Canseco. NL players who won both awards were Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Pete Rose, **** Allen, Johnny Bench, Andre Dawson, Jeff Bagwell, Albert Pujols and Howard. Allen was Rookie of the Year in one league (NL) and MVP in another (AL). Frank Robinson was an MVP in both leagues.

A second baseman had not won the MVP Award in the AL since 1959 when Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox was honored. Pedroia is only the fourth AL second baseman and 10th overall to win. The other AL winners were the New York Yankees' Joe Gordon in 1942 and the Detroit Tigers' Charlie Gehringer in 1937. The award has been won by a second baseman in the NL six times, including two-time winner Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976. The others were the St. Louis Cardinals' Frankie Frisch in 1931, the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jackie Robinson in 1949, the Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg in 1984 and the San Francisco Giants' Jeff Kent in 2000. No position has had fewer MVP winners.

Pedroia is the 10th Red Sox player honored and the first since first baseman Mo Vaughn in 1995. The others were left fielders Ted Williams (who won twice, in 1946 and 1949), Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 and Jim Rice in 1978, right fielder Jackie Jensen in 1958, pitcher Roger Clemens in 1986, first baseman Jimmie Foxx in 1938 (he also won twice with the Philadelphia Athletics, in 1932 and 1933) and Lynn in 1975. Since Vaughn's victory 13 years ago, three Red Sox players finished second in the voting: shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 1998, pitcher Pedro Martinez in 1999 and designated hitter David Ortiz in 2005.

 

[David Yudkin]

Wonder who didn't vote for Pedroia at all.

 

[Workhorse]

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left him off of his ballot.

Even though Pedroia dominated Ranger pitching this year, hitting well over .400 against them.

What a maroon.

 

[Capella]

He's deserving, but I just can't get why these putzes didn't give Mauer more respect.

And lol at the Bartlett vote. God these writers suck.

 

[Workhorse]

He's deserving, but I just can't get why these putzes didn't give Mauer more respect.And lol at the Bartlett vote. God these writers suck.

I'd probably have gone with Youkilis first, Mauer second, Pedroia third, but you could almost pick any of the 3 out of a hat, it's so close.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Hard to argue with that. Congrats to Pedroia!

 

[the moops]

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left him off of his ballot.Even though Pedroia dominated Ranger pitching this year, hitting well over .400 against them.What a maroon.

There really needs to be some sort of committee for crap like this. Same goes for George King and Lavelle Neal who left Pedro off their ballots in 1999. They should have their voting rescinded for being such idiots.

 

[MAC_32]

I'd have voted for Mauer, but there's nothing wrong with Pedroia. He played well most of the year, came on really strong toward the end, is one of the best defensively at his position, and comes to play every single day.

Morneau being 2nd is hilarious, him winning would have been a travesty.

 

[The Kansas Comet]

He's deserving, but I just can't get why these putzes didn't give Mauer more respect.

And lol at the Bartlett vote. God these writers suck.

I don't get it either - he would have been my choice given his offense as well as his defense at the toughest position on the field. Pedroia had an excellent year, however. Can't believe voters picking Morneau as the more valuable Twin - I wonder how many just look at stats and make their selections.

 

[Michael Brown]

Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels 1 2 6 1 6 — 3 2 — 2 143

Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers — — 2 2 3 7 3 2 4 3 112

Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians — — — — — 2 1 5 6 1 42

Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays — — — — — 2 2 5 2 1 38

Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians — — — 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 24

K-Rod being ahead of these names is an utter joke. Even moreso when you consider that Rivera didn't get a single vote despite having his best statistical season and Papelbon wasn't on the list either.

 

[guru_007]

Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels 1 2 6 1 6 — 3 2 — 2 143

Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers — — 2 2 3 7 3 2 4 3 112

Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians — — — — — 2 1 5 6 1 42

Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays — — — — — 2 2 5 2 1 38

Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians — — — 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 24

K-Rod being ahead of these names is an utter joke. Even moreso when you consider that Rivera didn't get a single vote despite having his best statistical season and Papelbon wasn't on the list either.

going to have to disagreeHamilton really fell off a cliff the second half, and the Rangers were not even a 500 club, they finished 21 games behind the Angels

And with both Indians players listed, both had nice seasons, but it's hard for me to justify an MVP to either on a .500 team

And Evan Longoria had a fantastic season, but it's going to be hard for him to garner MVP consideration in a season where he didn't even get 450 AB's. There will be plenty more seasons for Longoria.

Something is to be said for past performance in voting. Not saying it's right, or wrong, but it's a factor.

No idea why in the world you would think Rivera would garner any votes - he's a closer on the most hated team in baseball, with the highest payroll, which failed to make the playoffs. And whether you agree or not, the single most important stat for closers is saves and 62 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>41>>39

Hell, Joakim Soria had more saves than Papelbon and Rivera this year.

62 is a pretty big number

Look at the past leaders:

57 - Thigpen - came in 5th in MVP voting

55 - Gagne - came in 6th in MVP voting

55 - Smoltz - 8th in MVP voting

53 - Hoffman - 7th in MVP voting

53 - Rivera - 9th in MVP voting

So, K-Rod's 6th place finish is certainly without precedence, and I have no issue with it at all.

 

[Greco]

Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels 1 2 6 1 6 — 3 2 — 2 143

Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers — — 2 2 3 7 3 2 4 3 112

Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians — — — — — 2 1 5 6 1 42

Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays — — — — — 2 2 5 2 1 38

Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians — — — 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 24

K-Rod being ahead of these names is an utter joke. Even moreso when you consider that Rivera didn't get a single vote despite having his best statistical season and Papelbon wasn't on the list either.

going to have to disagreeHamilton really fell off a cliff the second half, and the Rangers were not even a 500 club, they finished 21 games behind the Angels

And with both Indians players listed, both had nice seasons, but it's hard for me to justify an MVP to either on a .500 team

And Evan Longoria had a fantastic season, but it's going to be hard for him to garner MVP consideration in a season where he didn't even get 450 AB's. There will be plenty more seasons for Longoria.

Something is to be said for past performance in voting. Not saying it's right, or wrong, but it's a factor.

No idea why in the world you would think Rivera would garner any votes - he's a closer on the most hated team in baseball, with the highest payroll, which failed to make the playoffs. And whether you agree or not, the single most important stat for closers is saves and 62 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>41>>39

Hell, Joakim Soria had more saves than Papelbon and Rivera this year.

62 is a pretty big number

Look at the past leaders:

57 - Thigpen - came in 5th in MVP voting

55 - Gagne - came in 6th in MVP voting

55 - Smoltz - 8th in MVP voting

53 - Hoffman - 7th in MVP voting

53 - Rivera - 9th in MVP voting

So, K-Rod's 6th place finish is certainly without precedence, and I have no issue with it at all.

Yes! I would like to subscribe. Bill me later.

 

[Why Me?]

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left him off of his ballot.Even though Pedroia dominated Ranger pitching this year, hitting well over .400 against them.What a maroon.

On Sept. 22 this guy wrote a column where he listed his top 10 at the time for each league, and Pedroia was 4th in the AL. Over the final 10 days of the season he batted roughly .400, which apparently dropped him off the ballot. I honestly think the guy simply forgot to list him.

 

[David Yudkin]

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left him off of his ballot.Even though Pedroia dominated Ranger pitching this year, hitting well over .400 against them.What a maroon.

On Sept. 22 this guy wrote a column where he listed his top 10 at the time for each league, and Pedroia was 4th in the AL. Over the final 10 days of the season he batted roughly .400, which apparently dropped him off the ballot. I honestly think the guy simply forgot to list him.

Evan Grant on leaving off PedroiaPosted by Amalie Benjamin, Boston Globe Staff November 18, 2008 03:33 PM In winning the MVP award, Dustin Pedroia was named on 27 of the 28 American League MVP ballots. The one writer to leave Pedroia off? That was Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, a well-respected member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, the organization that votes on awards.Grant voted for Kevin Youkilis first, followed by the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez and the Twins' Justin Morneau."I think the best way for me to sum it up is, in retrospect, obviously I was wrong," Grant said by phone. "My colleagues all, and people I respect an awful lot, thought Dustin deserved to be in the top 5. I had him on my ballot in some scenarios as high as No. 1 late into September. When I looked at the numbers that to me mattered most, OPS and batting average with runners in scoring position, he just didn't stack up with Youkilis at all. He was a laggard behind the others who had great years in the American League. Is it an error of omission that he's left off my ballot entirely? You could say that."Here is Grant's 10-person ballot:Kevin YoukilisFrancisco RodriguezJustin MorneauJosh HamiltonCarlos QuentinAlex RodriguezCliff LeeJoe MauerGrady SizemoreCarlos PenaGrant emphasized that there was no anti-Pedroia or anti-Red Sox bias in his vote, especially given that he gave Youkilis the No. 1 spot. "I just thought that Sizemore and Pena were at least the equal of Dustin," Grant said. "When it got down to it, the last place on my ballot was Pedroia or Pena, Pedroia or Pena. I don't have a guy from the Rays on my ballot and they won 97 games. I was going to vote to make sure Carlos Pena got recognized. I'm not afraid to say I was wrong. I have no issue with Dustin winning."Grant added that some of the statistical analysis that was factored into his decision included OPS and OBP, which he valued more highly than total hits or batting average. He said, "If there's an area to me that he came up short, it was in those two areas."Pedroia was 17th in the AL in OPS (.869), with Youkilis fourth at .958. Pedroia was 10th in on-base percentage at .376; Youkilis was sixth (.390).

 

[MAC_32]

Francisco Rodriguez Los Angeles Angels 1 2 6 1 6 — 3 2 — 2 143

Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers — — 2 2 3 7 3 2 4 3 112

Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians — — — — — 2 1 5 6 1 42

Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays — — — — — 2 2 5 2 1 38

Cliff Lee Cleveland Indians — — — 1 1 1 1 — 1 — 24

K-Rod being ahead of these names is an utter joke. Even moreso when you consider that Rivera didn't get a single vote despite having his best statistical season and Papelbon wasn't on the list either.

going to have to disagreeHamilton really fell off a cliff the second half, and the Rangers were not even a 500 club, they finished 21 games behind the Angels

And with both Indians players listed, both had nice seasons, but it's hard for me to justify an MVP to either on a .500 team

And Evan Longoria had a fantastic season, but it's going to be hard for him to garner MVP consideration in a season where he didn't even get 450 AB's. There will be plenty more seasons for Longoria.

Something is to be said for past performance in voting. Not saying it's right, or wrong, but it's a factor.

No idea why in the world you would think Rivera would garner any votes - he's a closer on the most hated team in baseball, with the highest payroll, which failed to make the playoffs. And whether you agree or not, the single most important stat for closers is saves and 62 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>41>>39

Hell, Joakim Soria had more saves than Papelbon and Rivera this year.

62 is a pretty big number

Look at the past leaders:

57 - Thigpen - came in 5th in MVP voting

55 - Gagne - came in 6th in MVP voting

55 - Smoltz - 8th in MVP voting

53 - Hoffman - 7th in MVP voting

53 - Rivera - 9th in MVP voting

So, K-Rod's 6th place finish is certainly without precedence, and I have no issue with it at all.

I think voting for K Rod is as asinine as voting for Howard.His pitching was good but not great, he just happened to be called upon when the team had a 3 run or less lead 60 some times (I don't know the exact number). He benefited from something he could not control much like Howard's inflated RBI total due to batting behind guys like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

Both are good players, neither were anywhere near the best in their respective leagues this year. I'd argue Howard wasn't even the best player on his team, K Rod may have him in that department at least.

I think Grady, Lee, and Longoria easily belong above K Rod, I could go either way on K Rod vs. Hamilton though. Hamilton clearly hit the wall sometime after the All Star Break but he was the best (offensive) player in the game from April to July.

 

[Mookie Blaylock]

Anyone who would bit** and moan about Pedroia getting the award is probably the same person who would vote for the player who hits the most home runs every year. Personally, [a player like] Pedroia getting the award is something I have been waiting for since I started paying attention to this sort of thing 15 years ago. Good for him and good for the voters.

ETA: I can't believe I'm happy about a RedSox winning anything but the correct man won the award.

 

[the moops]

Anyone who would bit** and moan about Pedroia getting the award

I havent read or heard anyone ##### or complain about him winning the award.The only complaining (rightfully I may add) is from folks who are astounded that Pedroia was left completely off a ballot or that Morneau got a many votes as he did.

 

[Thunderlips]

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News left him off of his ballot.Even though Pedroia dominated Ranger pitching this year, hitting well over .400 against them.What a maroon.

There really needs to be some sort of committee for crap like this. Same goes for George King and Lavelle Neal who left Pedro off their ballots in 1999. They should have their voting rescinded for being such idiots.

Pretty good though...