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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

TFT: Mitchell: Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, the 1979 MVP Race and the Hall of Fame

As Bill James once (or maybe more than once) wrote in an old Abstract…“Jim Rice was by far the worst in this respect…” (random nonsense pull there)

The Lynn narrative is that he peaked in his rookie year and was never a great player after that, while the Rice narrative is that he went on to become the league’s most feared player. Neither of these narratives are true. Lynn peaked in 1979, continued to be a star into the early 1980s, and a useful player into the mid-1980s. Rice, for his part, was a top hitter for many years, but the best and most feared hitter in the AL, during most of Rice’s career was George Brett. Brett, by the way, like Lynn hit for a higher batting average, OBP and slugging percentage while contributing more than Baylor on defense in 1979.

The biggest winner from the 1979 MVP vote, at least from the historical perspective, was not Baylor, but Rice. The 1979 vote also contributed to Lynn lasting only two years on the Hall of Fame ballot, while his long time teammate, despite very comparable career offensive numbers, got elected to Cooperstown. Rice had a career OPS+ of 128, while Lynn’s in around 1000 fewer plate appearances was 129, but Rice was a left fielder and DH while for most of his career Lynn was a good center fielder. Lynn’s career and Hall of Fame chances were derailed by injuries, but the difference in how they were treated by Hall of Fame voters is nonetheless stark. Had Lynn won the MVP in 1979, which he deserved, he would have been viewed differently by baseball writers when it came time for the Hall of Fame voting. He may not have gotten elected, but the logic of keeping Lynn out while putting Rice in would have been harder to defend. Moreover, Had Brett won that MVP award, which he deserved more than Baylor and almost as much as Lynn, the story of Rice being a more feared hitter than Brett would have gotten less traction, because Brett would have been a two-time MVP, thus damaging Rice’s Hall of Fame chances. Instead, Baylor won the MVP allowing the logic of the Rice Hall of Fame narrative became more powerful over time.

Repoz Posted: January 31, 2012 at 06:40 AM | 41 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: awards, hall of fame, history, sabermetrics

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1. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:56 AM (#4050251)

Bobby Grich is another guy who would have been a good selection for 1979 MVP. You've got two power hitting teammates, Bobby slugs .537 and Donnie .530. Bobby is a good defensive 2B, and Donnie is a LF/DH. It's not remotely close. But in 1979 RBIs were a lot more important to voters than they are today.

Brian Downing (catcher with a .418 OBP) was about as valuable as Grich. That's just for team MVP though. For the league MVP I've got to go with their future teammate Lynn.

2. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:07 AM (#4050261)

Another guy rocking the WAR list despite an averagish bat (106 OPS+) is Willie Wilson. He's got +18 runs from baserunning and +25 from his defense. That's game changing speed.

Willie had a 2.76 RF in left, compared to 2.22 for the league. Stole 83 bases in 95 attempts (about +11 runs of the 18 baserunning). Even his batting runs (+7) were at least partially due to his legs. He hit 6 homers but only one cleared the fence. He hit into only 1 DP out of 61 opportunities.

3. bobm Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:14 AM (#4050270)

The 1979 AL MVP was not even the most egregious award of the 1979 season:

                                                         
Rk            Player WAR/pos OPS+ Year Age  Tm Lg   G  PA
1       George Brett     8.7  148 1979  26 KCR AL 154 701
2     Darrell Porter     8.4  142 1979  27 KCR AL 157 679
3      Dave Winfield     8.4  166 1979  27 SDP NL 159 686
4          Fred Lynn     8.4  176 1979  27 BOS AL 147 622
5       Mike Schmidt     7.4  154 1979  29 PHI NL 160 675
6    Keith Hernandez     7.2  151 1979  25 STL NL 161 698
7         Buddy Bell     6.9  109 1979  27 TEX AL 162 720
8        Dave Parker     6.7  140 1979  28 PIT NL 158 707
9      Willie Wilson     6.3  106 1979  23 KCR AL 154 640
10       Gene Tenace     6.3  139 1979  32 SDP NL 151 582
11     Brian Downing     6.1  142 1979  28 CAL AL 148 596
12       Bobby Grich     6.0  145 1979  30 CAL AL 153 609
13       Gary Carter     5.8  123 1979  25 MON NL 140 559
14          Jim Rice     5.7  154 1979  26 BOS AL 158 688

27        Don Baylor     4.4  145 1979  30 CAL AL 162 722

97   Willie Stargell     2.3  139 1979  39 PIT NL 126 480

4. jingoist Posted: January 31, 2012 at 12:29 PM (#4050351)

As a Bucs fan I was happy to see Wilbur "share" the NL MVP in 79, but I must admit he didn't earn it that year.
It was like the Academy Awards folks giving Gregory Peck a lifetime award cause he was old and had never won one but come close over the years.
Stragell could/should have won in 71 or 73 when he was certainly more deserving than 79.

I remember thinking Lynn was a sure fire HoF guy in the early 80's; too many injuries, too many missed games.

5. Yeaarrgghhhh Posted: January 31, 2012 at 12:48 PM (#4050362)

Pretty amazing that Lynn didn't win. He had everything the writers look for -- 39 HRs, over 120 RBIs, hit well over .300, and played CF on a team that won over 90 games.

6. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 01:04 PM (#4050378)

Jesus, how did that '79 Royals team only win 85 games?

Wow, their pitching blew.

Bobby Grich is another guy who would have been a good selection for 1979 MVP.

Grich hit 7th or 8th almost the entire season. WTF? He was coming off a crummy year, but even late in the year you had a mediocre Dan Ford and Carney Lansford at the top of the lineup, with Grich hitting 7th.

7. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 01:20 PM (#4050390)

Hey, he was a second baseman. They are either supposed to bat #2 in the lineup if they are speedy, or hit toward the bottom. Grich wasn't speedy.

8. ValueArbitrageur Posted: January 31, 2012 at 01:51 PM (#4050426)

Pretty amazing that Lynn didn't win. He had everything the writers look for -- 39 HRs, over 120 RBIs, hit well over .300, and played CF on a team that won over 90 games.

An OPS+ of 176 from a center fielder isn't enough.

9. Rants Mulliniks (formerly Cold Prosimian) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:11 PM (#4050448)

God Bill James must have been a frustrated man when he first started out (which I imagine is why he started). The Red Sox won more games than the Angels, Lynn was clearly the best player in the league, and he doesn't even get ONE first place vote.

10. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:24 PM (#4050469)

Bill James was a Royals fan back then. His job with the Red Sox was a long way off. I never got the feeling that award votings frustrated him. If anything, they interested him, motivated him to try and understand what factors were important to the voters.

The type of person who bashes his head against the wall, shouting "why can't these voters understand baseball like I do?" - that was never Bill James. Or if it was he got over it before ever writing an Abstract.

11. Jose Can You Seabiscuit Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:29 PM (#4050476)

The type of person who bashes his head against the wall, shouting "why can't these voters understand baseball like I do?" - that was never Bill James. Or if it was he got over it before ever writing an Abstract.

My recollection is that he seemed very bothered by the Andre Dawson MVP vote. It's been a LONG time since I read the 1988 Abstract which was his last one but I remember thinking that he sounded like a guy frustrated by his inability to get across basic points.

That's purely memory but that's my recollection.

12. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:35 PM (#4050481)

(seasons leading in OBP, SLG, and winning a gold glove).

In eight of these seasons, the player in question went on to win the MVP. The only four who did not were Yastrzemski in 1965, Schmidt in 1982, Walker in 1999 and Lynn in 1975. Schmidt’s failure to win the MVP in 1982 is largely because he had won it the previous two years.

There does seem to be a reluctance to give it to the same guy that many times in a row. But in Schmidt's case I think he lost out in 1982 simply for the rbi category. He led the league with 121 in 1980, then again with 91 in a strike shortened year. Despite playing a regular schedule he actually dropped to 87 in 1982. Blame Pete Rose. His OBP dropped from .391 to .345.

13. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:35 PM (#4050482)

My recollection is that he seemed very bothered by the Andre Dawson MVP vote. It's been a LONG time since I read the 1988 Abstract which was his last one but I remember thinking that he sounded like a guy frustrated by his inability to get across basic points.

his exact words were :"There are occasions in your professional life that make you think you're not making any progress. The election of Andre Dawson as the National League's MVP is one of mine."

14. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:37 PM (#4050485)

Schmidt deserves some of the blame for that RBI total as well, he only hit .227 with RISP that year, down from .331 in 1981.

15. SoSH U at work Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:51 PM (#4050494)

in Schmidt's case I think he lost out in 1982 simply for the rbi category.

I'd put most of the blame on the surprise team factor. Team rises from mediocrity to capture a division, and writers go looking for the guy most responsible. The same phenomenon played out nine years later in the same city.

16. gef the talking mongoose Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:57 PM (#4050500)

As a Bucs fan I was happy to see Wilbur "share" the NL MVP in 79,

????

Stargell's first name was "Wilver."

17. Rants Mulliniks (formerly Cold Prosimian) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:59 PM (#4050506)

Bill James was a Royals fan back then. His job with the Red Sox was a long way off. I never got the feeling that award votings frustrated him. If anything, they interested him, motivated him to try and understand what factors were important to the voters.

I wasn't suggesting that he was frustrated because Lynn was on the Sox, simply because he was the best player and none of the voters knew it.

18. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:06 PM (#4050512)

I wasn't suggesting that he was frustrated because Lynn was on the Sox, simply because he was the best player and none of the voters knew it.

according to Abstracts from the Abstracts : Under Bobby Grich's and Dave Winfield's comments, James informs his readers that he would have voted for them for the MVP Award in 1979. James compares Grich with his teammate Don Baylor, the MVP winner that year, "If you were building a ballclub, which would you rather have--a DH who hits .296 with 36 HR, or a fine defensive second baseman who hits .294 with 30? It wouldn't be a tough pick for me."

19. DanG Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:08 PM (#4050515)

Baseball Digest Player of the Year rankings 1979:

1 George Brett
2 Pete Rose
3 Jim Rice
4 Fred Lynn
5 Dave Winfield
6 Omar Moreno
7 Ken Singleton
8 Keith Hernandez
9 Don Baylor
10 Andre Dawson
11 Mike Flanagan
12 Lou Brock
13 Sixto Lezcano
14 Dave Kingman
15 Joe Niekro

20. Ron J Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:12 PM (#4050519)

EDIT: Missed #13 Basically a duplicate

21. Fred Lynn Nolan Ryan Sweeney Agonistes Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:22 PM (#4050525)

James also wrote - in the NBJHBA, I think - that Stargell got hot at the end of 1979, and with a few key hits The Narrative took hold, and he became an MVP candidate.
Over the last two months of the season, Stargell went .229 / .327 / .440, but with a positive WPA, so maybe there's something to that.

22. AROM Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:56 PM (#4050540)

Omar Moreno? If you're going to put a speed guy that high on the list why not Wilson?

Intentionally leaving off any 'advanced' stats nobody in 1979 would have seen, I can't understand how you can look at Omar's season (.282, 110 runs, 77/21 steals) and put that ahead of Willie Wilson (.315, 113 runs, 83/12 steals).

23. SoSH U at work Posted: January 31, 2012 at 04:03 PM (#4050544)

Omar Moreno? If you're going to put a speed guy that high on the list why not Wilson?

Omar was the leadoff hitter for the World Series champions. He made the Bucs go.

24. GEB4000 Posted: January 31, 2012 at 08:48 PM (#4050777)

The unforgettable Omar the Out Maker.

25. Howie Menckel Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:14 PM (#4050792)

We're only up to 1969 (moving forward) in the Most Meritorious Player voting at the Hall of Merit, but this calendar year we indeed will no doubt right the wrongs.
:)

Actually these will be the years I enjoy most. We started in 1961, and so far have had nothing but Hall of Famers win and usually easily. Although we've disputed several MVP and Cy Young votes, at least indirectly.

26. haggard Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:16 PM (#4050793)

It was like the Academy Awards folks giving Gregory Peck a lifetime award cause he was old and had never won one but come close over the years.

Except that Gregory Peck had won one.

27. AndrewJ Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:22 PM (#4050802)

Fred Lynn had a HUGE Fenway advantage in 1979 (1267 home OPS vs. 831 road OPS), which I suspect the BBWAA voters intuitively understood.

28. Cblau Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:26 PM (#4050885)

Had Brett won that MVP award, which he deserved more than Baylor and almost as much as Lynn, the story of Rice being a more feared hitter than Brett would have gotten less traction, because Brett would have been a two-time MVP, thus damaging Rice’s Hall of Fame chances.

Yeah, but giving Brett that MVP would have ruined that commercial he did with Robin Yount.

29. Kiko Sakata

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:33 PM (#4050891)

Fred Lynn had a HUGE Fenway advantage in 1979 (1267 home OPS vs. 831 road OPS), which I suspect the BBWAA voters intuitively understood.

They had just awarded the MVP the previous season to a guy who had a Fenway OPS of 1.105 v. a road OPS of .837. They didn't give it to Lynn because team record is dominant - see Willie Stargell in the other league. The Red Sox won 8 fewer games than the year before, the Angels made the playoffs for the first time in team history (yes, I know, with fewer wins than the Red Sox), and Don Baylor led the league in RBIs. Simple as that.

30. John DiFool2 Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:38 PM (#4050892)

My recollection is that he seemed very bothered by the Andre Dawson MVP vote.

The irony is that in the previous year's Abstract, he idly wondered how Dawson would hit in Wrigley.

31. Misirlou's got a busy day, he's wearing a vest Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:54 PM (#4050899)

Pretty amazing that Lynn didn't win. He had everything the writers look for -- 39 HRs, over 120 RBIs, hit well over .300, and played CF on a team that won over 90 games.

1979 was smack dab in the middle of "League RBI leader on a first place team = MVP" era. Something like 18 of 19 from the mid 50's to the mid 90's who fit that criteria were voted MVPs. The only one to miss was George Foster in 1976, who finished a close second to a teammate having one of the greatest years in history. This era also saw:

Ken Boyer (5.6 WAR) over Willie Mays (10.2)
Roger Maris (7.2) over Mickey Mantle (11.9)
Harmon Killebrew (6.1) over Reggie Jackson (9.7)
Orlando Cepeda (7.1) over Ron Santo (10.2)

And I'd even include George Bell (5.0) over Alan Trammell (8.4). True, the Jays finished second behind the Tigers, but they finished 2 games out after an epic collapse, losing their last 6. Many voters, assuming a Jays title, could have voted in Bell early.

32. bobm Posted: February 01, 2012 at 01:18 AM (#4050924)

[21] James also wrote - in the NBJHBA, I think - that Stargell got hot at the end of 1979, and with a few key hits The Narrative took hold, and he became an MVP candidate.

Here is what James wrote:

[1970s] Worst Award Selection: 1979, Willie Stargell as National League co-MVP. Willie Stargell wasn't one of the thirty best players in the National League in 1979. He provided leadership and had four or five game-breaking hits late in the season, and some reporters started a bandwagon for him.

33. Booey Posted: February 01, 2012 at 01:33 AM (#4050927)

Ken Boyer (5.6 WAR) over Willie Mays (10.2)
Roger Maris (7.2) over Mickey Mantle (11.9)
Harmon Killebrew (6.1) over Reggie Jackson (9.7)
Orlando Cepeda (7.1) over Ron Santo (10.2)

And I'd even include George Bell (5.0) over Alan Trammell (8.4).

While I agree these were all poor choices, it is a bit unfair to point out mistakes using stats like WAR that didn't exist at the time of the voting.

I thought it was interesting that Maris was given the MVP over a clearly superior Mantle (even using existing stats) solely because he broke the record, whereas the exact opposite happened in 1998. I know the Cubs made the playoffs and the Cards didn't and that Sosa led the league in RBI's, but despite all that I think the voters still had to know that McGwire had the better season considering that his SLG and OBP were each around 100 points higher than Sammy's. I always got the feeling that Sosa was given the MVP mainly as a consolation prize. He broke the most hallowed record in sports and didn't even lead the league, let alone set the new standard. Guess they felt he deserved something for his trouble.

34. bobm Posted: February 01, 2012 at 01:51 AM (#4050928)

[21] Stargell had many good (high WPA) games in September 1979, mostly in Pirate wins during a tight pennant race.

Of his 126 games, these September games ranked 7-11, 24, 26, 27, 36, 41, and 49 by WPA.

Willie Stargell: For 1979, sorted by greatest wpa_bat

                                    
Rk             Date  Tm Opp   Rslt PA AB R H HR RBI   WPA  RE24   aLI BOP Pos. Summary
1        1979-04-07 PIT MON  W 7-6  5  5 0 1  0   1 0.857 0.754 1.852   5           1B
2        1979-05-17 PIT NYM  W 6-5  4  3 2 2  2   3 0.714 2.900 1.320   5           1B
3        1979-05-05 PIT STL  W 6-5  1  1 0 1  0   2 0.615 1.730 9.210   5           PH
4        1979-06-08 PIT SFG  W 3-2  1  1 1 1  1   2 0.411 1.875 1.490   2        PH 1B
5    1979-07-08 (2) PIT CIN  W 2-1  4  4 1 2  1   1 0.400 1.181  .867   4           1B
6        1979-07-26 PIT CIN  L 7-9  4  3 1 2  1   2 0.343 3.119 1.060   4           1B

7        1979-09-18 PIT MON  W 5-3  5  5 1 1  1   2 0.310 1.449 1.338   5           1B
8        1979-09-25 PIT MON W 10-4  5  4 3 2  2   3 0.306 2.015  .634   4           1B
9    1979-09-01 (1) PIT SFG  W 5-3  4  4 2 3  2   2 0.301 2.076 1.138   4           1B
10       1979-09-11 PIT STL  W 7-3  4  3 1 1  1   2 0.286 1.523 1.240   4           1B
11       1979-09-05 PIT STL  W 7-5  4  3 1 2  1   1 0.254 1.797 1.442   4           1B

24       1979-09-07 PIT NYM  W 6-4  4  4 0 1  0   0 0.145 0.277 1.642   4           1B
26       1979-09-27 PIT STL  L 5-9  5  5 0 1  0   0 0.122 1.066 1.048   4           1B
27       1979-09-09 PIT NYM  W 6-5  5  5 0 2  0   1 0.121 0.307 2.006   4           1B
36       1979-09-08 PIT NYM  L 2-3  1  1 0 1  0   0 0.068 0.376 1.900   9           PH
41       1979-09-30 PIT CHC  W 5-3  4  2 1 1  1   2 0.057 0.722 1.352   4           1B
49       1979-09-23 PIT CHC  W 6-0  5  5 0 1  0   2 0.033 0.533  .738   4           1B

1979 Pirates Team Selected Game-by-Game Schedule and Results, sorted by Date

                                                              
Rk    Gm#              Date    Opp  R RA Inn   W-L Rank     GB
2       2    Saturday Apr 7 MON  W  7      6   1-1    3    1.0
22     22    Saturday May 5 STL  W  6      5  9-13    5    6.5
32     32   Thursday May 17 NYM  W  6      5 14-18    5    9.0
52     52      Friday Jun 8 SFG  W  3      2 28-23    3    3.0
80     80      Sunday Jul 8 CIN  W  2      1 41-38    4    7.0
97     97   Thursday Jul 26 CIN  L  7      9 53-43    3    2.5

134   134    Saturday Sep 1 SFG  W  5      3 79-54    1 up 3.5
139   139   Wednesday Sep 5 STL  W  7  5  11 83-55    1 up 2.0
141   141      Friday Sep 7 NYM  W  6  4  14 84-56    1 up 2.0
142   142    Saturday Sep 8 NYM  L  2  3  15 84-57    1 up 1.0
143   143      Sunday Sep 9 NYM  W  6      5 85-57    1 up 1.0
144   144    Tuesday Sep 11 STL  W  7      3 86-57    1 up 0.5
155   155     Sunday Sep 23 CHC  W  6      0 93-61    2    0.5
158   158    Tuesday Sep 25 MON  W 10      4 95-62    1 up 0.5
160   160   Thursday Sep 27 STL  L  5      9 96-63    1 up 1.0
163   163     Sunday Sep 30 CHC  W  5      3 98-64    1 up 2.0
Rk    Gm#              Date    Opp  R RA Inn   W-L Rank     GB

35. bobm Posted: February 01, 2012 at 02:01 AM (#4050931)

[31] 1996 AL has to be in contention as the most ridiculous MVP race ever.

For single seasons, Playing in the AL, For 1996, sorted by greatest WAR Position Players

                                                                                                                           
Rk            Player WAR/pos OPS+ Year Age  Tm Lg   G  PA  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO SB CS   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS   Pos
1        Ken Griffey     9.7  153 1996  26 SEA AL 140 638 545 125 165 26  2 49 140  78 104 16  1 .303 .392 .628 1.020  *8/D
2     Alex Rodriguez     9.4  160 1996  20 SEA AL 146 677 601 141 215 54  1 36 123  59 104 15  4 .358 .414 .631 1.045    *6
3    Chuck Knoblauch     8.8  143 1996  27 MIN AL 153 701 578 140 197 35 14 13  72  98  74 45 14 .341 .448 .517  .965  *4/D
4          Jim Thome     7.1  167 1996  25 CLE AL 151 636 505 122 157 28  5 38 116 123 141  2  2 .311 .450 .612 1.062  *5/D
5     Brady Anderson     6.6  156 1996  32 BAL AL 149 687 579 117 172 37  5 50 110  76 106 21  8 .297 .396 .637 1.034  *8/D
6       Mark McGwire     6.5  196 1996  32 OAK AL 130 548 423 104 132 21  0 52 113 116 112  0  0 .312 .467 .730 1.198   *3D
7     Edgar Martinez     6.2  166 1996  33 SEA AL 139 634 499 121 163 52  2 26 103 123  84  3  3 .327 .464 .595 1.059 *D/35
8     Ivan Rodriguez     5.6  100 1996  24 TEX AL 153 685 639 116 192 47  3 19  86  38  55  5  0 .300 .342 .473  .814  *2/D
9          Mo Vaughn     5.6  150 1996  28 BOS AL 161 752 635 118 207 29  1 44 143  95 154  2  0 .326 .420 .583 1.003   *3D
10      Frank Thomas     5.5  178 1996  28 CHW AL 141 649 527 110 184 26  0 40 134 109  70  1  1 .349 .459 .626 1.085    *3

14      Albert Belle     4.9  158 1996  29 CLE AL 158 715 602 124 187 38  3 48 148  99  87 11  0 .311 .410 .623 1.033  *7/D

42     Juan Gonzalez     2.8  145 1996  26 TEX AL 134 592 541  89 170 33  2 47 144  45  82  2  0 .314 .368 .643 1.011   *9D

36. Morty Causa Posted: February 01, 2012 at 02:02 AM (#4050933)

There was probably some guilt factor playing into the Maris selection, since some reporters had treated him like #### all season, making invidious comparisons about his unworthiness to touch the hem of Ruth's toga.

It was like the Academy Awards folks giving Gregory Peck a lifetime award cause he was old and had never won one but come close over the years.

Except that Gregory Peck had won one.

Yes, he did, and I bet it was pretty close to a unanimous decision.

37. ValueArbitrageur Posted: February 01, 2012 at 02:06 AM (#4050934)

Fred Lynn had a HUGE Fenway advantage in 1979 (1267 home OPS vs. 831 road OPS), which I suspect the BBWAA voters intuitively understood.

If they "understood" that batters in highly favorable home parks always have huge splits, they would have understood splits are almost meaningless. Or they would have been amassed at a CF putting up an .831 road OPS, despite hitting exclusively in the toughest road parks in the league.

38. cardsfanboy

Posted: February 01, 2012 at 02:32 AM (#4050941)

I know the Cubs made the playoffs and the Cards didn't and that Sosa led the league in RBI's, but despite all that I think the voters still had to know that McGwire had the better season considering that his SLG and OBP were each around 100 points higher than Sammy's. I always got the feeling that Sosa was given the MVP mainly as a consolation prize. He broke the most hallowed record in sports and didn't even lead the league, let alone set the new standard. Guess they felt he deserved something for his trouble.

I like to think that Sosa got it because he had more fun, he loosened up McGwire, he reminded the writers and the fans that this was a game, he was infectious(unless you happened to be a heartless bastard) He had fun with the chase, he made McGwire relax, he made people realize how special that season was, McGwire was a dour, gloomy gus for most of the season, and Sosa got him to relax a bit.

I mean, I know that the writers more than likely voted for Sosa because of the team record and the rbi, but I like to imagine that they might have extended their narrative to a little more.

39. Booey Posted: February 01, 2012 at 12:31 PM (#4051138)

1996 AL has to be in contention as the most ridiculous MVP race ever.

Without looking it up, I remember the 1999 AL to be stacked with candidates - Pedro, Pudge, Jeter, Nomar, Manny, Alomar, Palmeiro, Edgar, Griffey, Giambi, even an off year by A-Rod.

Also the 2000 NL - Bonds, Kent, Bagwell, Chipper, Piazza, Sosa, Helton, Sheffield, Unit

40. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: February 01, 2012 at 12:36 PM (#4051143)

#35 didn't mean "ridiculous" as a synonym for totally awesome-packed, he meant "ridiculous" as a synonym for ridiculous.

41. Booey Posted: February 01, 2012 at 01:33 PM (#4051222)

#35 didn't mean "ridiculous" as a synonym for totally awesome-packed, he meant "ridiculous" as a synonym for ridiculous.

Got it. Still seems a bit unfair to use WAR to prove how ridiculous it was though, considering it hadn't been invented yet. A better argument would be made using numbers the writers actually had available to them at the time.

And as ridiculous as the 1996 AL vote was, it was actually pretty consistent (consistently stupid) with several of the other MVP votes around the same time period - 1995 AL, 1998 AL and NL, 1999 AL.

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

TFT: Mitchell: Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, the 1979 MVP Race and the Hall of Fame

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