The Sporting News (overrated).
For four-plus months, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen has been putting up MVP numbers. He leads the National League in batting (.360), runs (85) and slugging (.605).
But with less than seven weeks left in the season, those numbers could be McCutchen’s biggest obstacle to actually winning an MVP.
How’s that?
Well, as McCutchen’s numbers have risen to superstar level, so has his reputation. A year ago, he probably was the one guy whom Pirates’ opponents would not let beat them. Nowadays, there’s no question. About the only strikes he sees are mistakes.
...The lack of a consistent four-hole force is why I believe McCutchen’s chances of winning the MVP rest almost as much on Garrett Jones as on the man himself, since Jones has claimed the role as Pittsburgh’s primary cleanup hitter. The more Jones hits, the less pitchers can dance around McCutchen.
...McCutchen is being hard on himself—after all, he’s hitting .353 with a .455 OBP since the break—but he could use a boost in the (overrated) RBI department to maintain his status as MVP front-runner. He has 72 to lead the Pirates but has fallen out of the NL top 10.
Repoz
Posted: August 18, 2012 at 08:13 AM |
19 comment(s)
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1. Best Regards, L.M. Posted: August 18, 2012 at 09:02 AM (#4211235)I don't think anyone's ready to give it to Braun again.
Even if they don't make the playoffs, McCutchen will probably get some extra credit just for the Pirates' first winning record in 20 years.
The moment Votto went down, it became McCutchen's award to lose. I agree, if it comes down to Braun, Wright, McCutchen... and all three of them miss the playoffs, McCutchen will still get the team wins bump for the Pirates being in the race and finally having a winning season.
I guess there is still an outside chance that Votto could win. If the Pirates/Cardinals close the gap on Cincinnati and Votto comes back and hits like a machine for the last 3-4 weeks, he'll have the narrative to go along with really impressive rate stats in just 110-120 games. Vlad and Morneau both won with that "carry the team to the playoffs" narrative, but they did log a full season of games as well.
I agree on both counts. I'm a Reds fan, and McCutchen has my non-existent vote right now. I say it's < 5% chance Votto wins the MVP, but the opportunity for the all important narrative is there.
.427/.511/.755, 9 HR and more walks than strikeouts.
I think he has a legit shot if the Giants make the playoffs and the Pirates don't. Furthermore, he may deserve it, although it won't be recognized on this board due to the blind spots of WAR and catcher defense.
For the Pirates to be in the hunt(or better to be more accurate this late in the season) I think is enough to qualify the team. I don't think it's difficult to win from a non-playoff team. True it's been since 2008 that an MVP came from a non-playoff team(Pujols) but I don't think that players are being kept out of all the votes based upon their team standings.
In the NL, who are the legitimate MVP candidates. You have Braun who isn't going to win no matter what. You have Holliday and Beltran both on the same team so they'll split some votes off, and of course that team is not in the playoffs at this moment. Votto has missed to many games, Posey will get a bump from Cabrera's ouster, if they make the playoffs. Wright is the guy who is going to get hammered the most by his team not being in contention.
I just don't see how McCutchen doesn't win it.
unless, of course, the injury is worse than stated. but that is something to be discussed if and when it is revealed
andrew is the easy leader in the clubhouse and anyone who votes for another player is pretty much a halfwit.
no way. holliday, rightly or wrongly, is considered an oaf in the field and beltran is down to .279 batting average. even if beltran got white hot and finished over .300 somehow andrew would likely have a 40 point advantage in batting average alone.
no way
Since 2000, an RBI champion (or co-champ) has played on a playoff team 9 times. Only once (A-Rod in 2007) has he won the MVP. One other RBI champion won the MVP on a non-playoff team (not surprisingly, Howard in 2006), while numerous other RBI champs played on above .500 teams but didn't win the MVP.
I'm with Harveys. Barring a collapse by McCutcheon or the Pirates (or possibly both), he's going to run away with it.
I had really thought that the Pirates would be lucky to be at 65 wins after this weekend, given the quality of their opposition over the last 2 1/2 weeks. They're at 66 with two games left. I'd like to see the Pirates with at least 72 wins entering September, which means splitting their 12 remaining games in the month; that would put them in good shape.
-- MWE
I care. I'm happy it's game of the week (I gave up my cable and don't get to see many games this year)
I think we all see where this going. The field has cleared for Chipper's miraculous run at a second MVP in his final year.
I am reasonably confident in saying that very little of this has to do with how Garrett Jones hits over the last 6 weeks. Obviously Jones hitting well helps the Pirates' chances at the playoffs but it could be Neil Walker instead. But, really, no matter how well Jones hits, teams will still "pitch around" McCutchen. And my usual line about protection holds double here if our concern is RBI for McCutchen -- you protect him by getting guys on base in front of him.
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