Alex Rodriguez was just announced as the 2005 AL MVP (sports.espn.go.com) (obviously). The fact that he gets $1 million for winning it makes me throw up in my mouth. A guy with a $25,705,118 salary has a clause for another mil if he wins an award? I could see tacking on a million or two if a national poll found him to be "Not a Smarmy Asswipe". I had so much more fun rooting against him 2 years ago, and I would trade him, Giambi, and Sheffield for Ortiz. I truly think Jeter was rooting for Ortiz to win AL MVP, I really really do.
I'm shocked that no writers pulled a "George King" and dropped Ortiz below #2 on their ballot. I agree that Ortiz should have finished second in the MVP balloting, as he did struggle for about a 3 week period after the All-Star Break. However, the true A.L. MVP finished 9th, as, there is no way anyone could tell me that Mariano Rivera is less valuable to the Yankees than A-Rod. IF the Yankees still had Soriano instead of A-Rod, they probably would be the same caliber team. If they didn't have Rivera this year, they would have been a 77 win team.
Congratulations to Alex Rodriguez. While the balloting was deservedly close, I think the right guy won.
A-Rod is an everyday player (so he edges out Rivera), who plays stellar defense (so he edges out Ortiz), who had another incredible season (so he edges out everyone else).
While I may not like how the guy comes across at times, and hope he loses his million dollar bonus playing poker, I still tip my hat to him as one of the very very best of this generation.
Originally posted by redsoxnation If they didn't have Rivera this year, they would have been a 77 win team.
I am hoping this is an exaggeration on your part. To think that plugging an average reliever into the "closer" role (say Mike Timlin), that the Yankees would lose 18 more games than they did, makes no sense. While I agree that Rivera is very important to the Yankees' bullpen, there is no way that Rivera is worth more than 4 or 5 wins to the bottom line.
Originally posted by piemanWhile I agree that Rivera is very important to the Yankees' bullpen, there is no way that Rivera is worth more than 4 or 5 wins to the bottom line.
Agreed Pieman.
I think Rivera's value is magnified in the post-season. I don't think anyone would argue that another closer would blow 18 games, but in a short series a closer like Rivera can be the difference (see: Brad Lidge this post-season). That is where Rivera's value to the Yankees is realized & that is not where the MVP voting is judged.
I don't see how a reliever can get the Cy Young Award. Sure, he had a great year, but he only threw 78 1/3 innings. On the other hand, Johan Santana (who I think should have won the Cy) pitched 231 2/3 innings. That's three times as many innings so in my mind, that would mean that Rivera's innings needed to be three times as valuable (at least) for him to be a more valuable than Santana. I don't see it - plus I think if you saved Santana until the ninth inning every night, I think his ratio numbers would be even more impressive.
Originally posted by BigSteveI don't see how a reliever can get the Cy Young Award. ........ plus I think if you saved Santana until the ninth inning every night, I think his ratio numbers would be even more impressive.
I disagree completely. I am a huge believer in the fairly firmly established statistical data that says 80% of our output is gained by 20% of our effort.
Pitching is mostly (comparitively - trust me, I understand just how difficult the tasks in baseball are) easy for starters. In the first three innnings, they have the advantage of the hitters because they have had all the time they want to warm up, the fielders behind them are fresh and ready and they are facing the batters for the first time - in many cases, for the first time in many months if at all. They always start out with no one on base. The game's not on the line.
Closers - not so much. Some of them come in to start an inning and that makes it easier - although they often come in with men on base. The game is always on the line for them. And if he's the kind of closer who is in the game most nights, the batters may have seen more of him than the starter. His fielders are tired and want to go home - and they might have aches and pains that are starting to get bad late in the evening. He may even have some of the non-starters because of double-switches. He doesn't have the luxury of grooving one by mistake - that'd be the ballgame.
His 20% or even 10% may make the ballgame.
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
Originally posted by redsoxnation If they didn't have Rivera this year, they would have been a 77 win team.
I am hoping this is an exaggeration on your part. To think that plugging an average reliever into the "closer" role (say Mike Timlin), that the Yankees would lose 18 more games than they did, makes no sense. While I agree that Rivera is very important to the Yankees' bullpen, there is no way that Rivera is worth more than 4 or 5 wins to the bottom line.
Maybe I'm exaggerating by 3 or 4 games, but the way the Yankees pitching staff was configured this season, No Rivera would have made them a .500 team at best. I can think of a half dozen games off the top of my head where the arson squad in front of Rivera blew 5 run plus leads that he had to come in to stop the bleeding once it went down to 1 or 2 runs. If you want to plug Gordon into Rivera's spot, who was going to get to Gordon in the 9th? Sturtze? Felix Rodriguez? Stanton? Embree? Having Rivera in the 9th is a huge domino effect on how the game is played. That, and though I truly believe he should be banned from baseball for life for some of his prior actions, Sheffield in a big spot scares me much more than A-Rod.
Originally posted by redsoxnationSheffield in a big spot scares me much more than A-Rod.
Of Alex Rodriguez's 48 home runs:
- 30 of them came before the 5th inning - 13 came when there was no score, and 9 of the 13 in the first two innings - 28 of them were solo shots, 17 were with one man on - 14 of them came when the Yanks had a 3+ run lead - 2 of them came when the Yanks had a 9 run lead - of his home runs from the sixth inning on: - - - - - - 10 solo home runs - - - - - - 2 with a 3 run Yankee lead - - - - - - 1 with a 4 run Yankee lead - - - - - - 2 with a 7 run Yankee lead - - - - - - 2 with a 5 run Yankee deficit
I don't buy the knock against Ortiz for not playing defense. In the AL, the DH is a legit position and he isn't required to play defense. It makes no sense for him to play first base. If the Sox had switched Ortiz at DH with Olerud at First, Ortiz would have gotten more MVP votes, but would've been hurting his team.
It is not like they had a hole at first base. They didn't need his defense, they needed his bat. And by not playing first, he couldn't do any damage defensively.
The categories I'd like the award to focus on are clutch hitting like late inning HRs, GWRBIs, Ave. Runners in scoring position. (Ok, A-Rod has the RISP, but how about the other two.)
And I'd rather have one Rivera than 2 Colons or one Carpenter.
Playing for a wining team might be the lip service reason...but I'm guessing all the cash the Yankees offered might have factored into his decision as well. The A's just couldn't afford him.