So I am going to rant. What am I going to rant about? DJ LeMahieu and The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), because they made a mistake. I never complain about the writers. In fact, I don't think I have ever mentioned them before. But this time, I really think they are flat out wrong.
On Monday I was working out at the gym with my husband when I got an alert pop up on my phone. Awards season is here, and I get excited about that. But this time I wasn't excited, I was mad. The American League MVP award candidates are: Mike Trout, Alex Bregman and the Athletics’ Marcus Semien.
Look at this season, LeMahieu is a big reason WHY the Yankees were so successful. We weren't quite sure how he was going to fit on the roster or how effective he would be transitioning to the AL East and he surprised us all. He was the Yankees MVP. Thanks to a boatload of injuries, he went from utility man to a starring role. He finished the season with 26 home runs (his previous career high was 15) and drove in 102 runs AND was fourth in the AL with a .327 BA. Oh and he was an All-Star!
We all know Trout is Trout....he's a beast and we all know this. He's "the best player in baseball" and hit a career best 45 home runs this season despite hitting the Injured List. Bregman also hit 41 home runs, had 112 RBIs, and helped his team get to the World Series. I get his nomination. I don't get Semien's nomination beyond his stats. Sure he played in all 162 games and had 33 home runs but....MVP finalist?! Come on. LeMahieu's batting average was 42 points higher (.327 BA), he had 10 more RBI's (102) but because he didn't play in all 162 games and hit 7 fewer home runs than Semien he isn't nominated?
Has the BBWAA lost their minds? Is this the "if you hit less than 30 home runs you do not qualify" type of club? The award is called the Most Valuable Player. What additional value did Semien give to the A's that LeMahieu didn't give to the Yankees? The A's finished second in their division and lost the Wild Card game, the Yankees won their division and made it to the American League Championship series. That's value, folks!
The BBWAA doesn't understand what "valuable" means in the context of this award. Maybe when they understand they will all at least be voting for the same thing. Even if LeMahieu wasn't THE MVP this season he earned the nomination. He was SNUBBED plain and simple and the BBWAA got this one completely wrong.
The MVP that won't be LeMahieu will be announced November 14th....we'll have to wait and see who wins. Okay, rant over. I feel a little better. Sort of.
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @NYPrincessj
The MVP that won't be LeMahieu will be announced November 14th....we'll have to wait and see who wins. Okay, rant over. I feel a little better. Sort of.
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @NYPrincessj
You used Avg and RBI as example. It's not 1975 anymore. Their slash lines are nearly identical, which is OBP/slg/OPS. Their OPS+ is 138 and 136. W/RC are 137 and 136. Semien played premier position,DJ versatile enough to play three very well.Coin flip between the two.
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