2012 BBA Awards: Stan Musial (MVP)
Today, we present to you our 2012 Stan Musial Ballots.
The Stan Musial Award is the BBA equivalent of the MLB MVP Award. Last year's FBJ ballot can be seen here.
American League
1. Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
2. Mike Trout - LA Angels
3. Robinson Cano - NY Yankees
4. Adam Jones - Baltimore Orioles
5. Derek Jeter - NY Yankees
6. Adrian Beltre - Texas Rangers
7. Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers
8. Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers
9. Edwin Encarnacion - Toronto Blue Jays
10. David Price - Tampa Bay Rays
This was a two-horse race between Cabrera and Trout. The Tigers finish certainly boosted Miggy's stock (along with that whole Triple Crown thing he did). Some would argue Trout based on overall play - in the field and at the dish - and most years I would agree with that, however, winning a Triple Crown makes him the choice, for me. Further, I also recognize how close Miguel has come in year's past and what Miguel did this year for his team by moving to third base without reservation. This MVP has been earned by years of consistency and because Miguel did what was best for his team; a team which won their division (and appears to be en route to a World Series berth). Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball and he was the choice.
There mix after those two is largely based on opinion. Josh Willingham was the first name left off with Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols in the mix (Pujols' second half and 141+ ranks 8th in the AL - had he done anything in April/May, he would have finished much higher). One player's ranking worth mentioning is Josh Hamilton, who fell to number 7 on our list (below his teammate, Adrian Beltre). His poor second half play ultimately led to the demise of the Texas Rangers (he hit .259 in the second half... not exactly MVP caliber numbers). Him getting booed on the final night in Arlington really sticks in my head... it's hard to nominate him as an MVP candidate when you've witnessed something like that.
National League
1. Buster Posey - SF Giants
2. Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers
4. Chase Headley - SD Padres
5. Adam LaRoche - Washington Nationals
6. Matt Holliday - St. Louis Cardinals
7. Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
8. Aramis Ramirez - Milwaukee Brewers
9. David Wright - NY Mets
10. Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
This was a two horse race, as well, with Posey getting the slight edge because of his strong finish and because of how important the catcher is to his team (and how much impact he has on the game). Had McCutchen been able to somehow end the 21 year sub-.500 drought, he would have probably been a shoe-in but he tailed off and so did the Pirates.
Ryan Braun led the way for the rest of the bunch and was the clear number three pick. After that, the mix was largely mixed. Headley led the NL in RBI's and finished 3rd in Offensive WAR - his play this season was nothing short of remarkable. Molina and Holliday really carried the Cardinals, as did LaRoche and Zimmerman. The first half-dozen names left off our ballots were Aaron Hill, Jay Bruce, Martin Prado, Craig Kimbrel, Carlos Beltran and Jason Heyward.
The Stan Musial Award is the BBA equivalent of the MLB MVP Award. Last year's FBJ ballot can be seen here.
American League
1. Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
2. Mike Trout - LA Angels
3. Robinson Cano - NY Yankees
4. Adam Jones - Baltimore Orioles
5. Derek Jeter - NY Yankees
6. Adrian Beltre - Texas Rangers
7. Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers
8. Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers
9. Edwin Encarnacion - Toronto Blue Jays
10. David Price - Tampa Bay Rays
This was a two-horse race between Cabrera and Trout. The Tigers finish certainly boosted Miggy's stock (along with that whole Triple Crown thing he did). Some would argue Trout based on overall play - in the field and at the dish - and most years I would agree with that, however, winning a Triple Crown makes him the choice, for me. Further, I also recognize how close Miguel has come in year's past and what Miguel did this year for his team by moving to third base without reservation. This MVP has been earned by years of consistency and because Miguel did what was best for his team; a team which won their division (and appears to be en route to a World Series berth). Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball and he was the choice.
There mix after those two is largely based on opinion. Josh Willingham was the first name left off with Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols in the mix (Pujols' second half and 141+ ranks 8th in the AL - had he done anything in April/May, he would have finished much higher). One player's ranking worth mentioning is Josh Hamilton, who fell to number 7 on our list (below his teammate, Adrian Beltre). His poor second half play ultimately led to the demise of the Texas Rangers (he hit .259 in the second half... not exactly MVP caliber numbers). Him getting booed on the final night in Arlington really sticks in my head... it's hard to nominate him as an MVP candidate when you've witnessed something like that.
National League
1. Buster Posey - SF Giants
2. Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers
4. Chase Headley - SD Padres
5. Adam LaRoche - Washington Nationals
6. Matt Holliday - St. Louis Cardinals
7. Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
8. Aramis Ramirez - Milwaukee Brewers
9. David Wright - NY Mets
10. Ryan Zimmerman - Washington Nationals
This was a two horse race, as well, with Posey getting the slight edge because of his strong finish and because of how important the catcher is to his team (and how much impact he has on the game). Had McCutchen been able to somehow end the 21 year sub-.500 drought, he would have probably been a shoe-in but he tailed off and so did the Pirates.
Ryan Braun led the way for the rest of the bunch and was the clear number three pick. After that, the mix was largely mixed. Headley led the NL in RBI's and finished 3rd in Offensive WAR - his play this season was nothing short of remarkable. Molina and Holliday really carried the Cardinals, as did LaRoche and Zimmerman. The first half-dozen names left off our ballots were Aaron Hill, Jay Bruce, Martin Prado, Craig Kimbrel, Carlos Beltran and Jason Heyward.
OK, but past year's play & whether fans booed someone has no bearing on this award. It should overwhelmingly be what a player contributed. The triple crown should not be a deciding factor-BA & certainly context dependent RBIs do not show just what someone added to help the team, & its 3 constituent part are arbitrary.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you justify giving it to someone besides Trout because of his last 2, & especially last 1, month fade. But since nobody produced so much with their overall game, even in 129 GP, I would still give it to him.
Thanks for commenting... Most years I'm right there with you but doing something that hasn't been done in 47 years has to account for something. Leading your team to a division title has to account for something. Selflessly changing positions in order to get the piece you need to get you into the World Series has to account for something. Trout will have plenty of time to get his - maybe not winning the award gives him something to play for next season... to prove that he's not a one-hit wonder. I'm not saying that Trout didn't outplay him... in the field, he certainly did and at the dish, over 139 games, he did just as much as anyone else. I'm typically right there with you (look at the rest of my list and you'll see guys like Yadier Molina and Adam Jones pretty high because of their all-around play) but Miguel Cabrera deserves this award just as much as anyone else because he is a proven commodity- he's the greatest hitter in baseball and the award has eluded him long enough. Let Trout do what he did over 162 games (not 90% of the season) and then I'll gladly walk the trophy to his front door.
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