The voters went 50-50 this year. They got one right, the other not so much.
Your 2007 AL MVP is Alex Rodriguez, which makes sense because with all due respect to Detroit’s Magglio Ordonez, A-Rod dominated the league in every conceivable way. His was an easy choice.
In the National League, things were complicated by the Mets’ historic collapse. If David Wright’s team had reached the playoffs, I’m convinced the voters would have chosen the right guy.
As it stands, they were sure to make a mistake, the only issue being whether it would favor Colorado’s Matt Holliday or Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins. As …read more

I haven’t done one of these in a while. Time to turn the electrons over to you; here’s what y’all have been saying at Knuckle Curve over the past couple months or so:

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We’ve talked about the AL Cy Young here and here, but I’m thinking maybe it’s time for a poll? After all, we are having so much fun with the NL (write-in candidate Jimmy Rollins has overtaken Matt Holliday and David Wright) and AL MVP award polls.
My preseason pick? I went with the pack and chose Johan Santana. Right now, I’d say that if one of the guys from Cleveland (C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona) doesn’t win it, there’s a problem. But I could be wrong.
What do you think? Feel free to leave comments supporting your choice if you’re so …read more

Welcome to the baseball equivalent of purgatory. Or perhaps you prefer Schroedinger’s Cat (maybe we should call it Schroedinger’s Bat)? Is it a playoff team or not? How will we ever know if they don’t play the game?
Jake Peavy and Josh Fogg at Coors Field. Updates throughout the evening…

The regular season is done save for one final, originally unscheduled game in Denver on Monday afternoon (4:37 p.m. PT first pitch; TBS, XM 183). Thanks to the Colorado Rockies’ 13-1 finish, they’ll host the San Diego Padres in a one-game playoff to determine which team advances to the postseason as the NL wild card.
On paper, Jake Peavy vs Josh Fogg looks lopsided in favor of the Padres. The games, however, are not played on paper. With three studs in the lineup (Matt Holliday, Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe), a strong supporting cast, and a home crowd that hasn’t seen meaningful …read more

The latest MVP breakdowns have been posted at Vegas Watch. Good stuff from VW, as always.
The AL race is (or should be) a slam dunk. I’m fascinated that some folks have voted against A-Rod in our poll. I’d love to hear reasons behind that (”Yankees are teh suck” isn’t a reason).
I also find it surprising that Chase Utley still ranks so highly in the NL race. There’s no way he’ll win it, and if the Mets somehow slip out of a playoff spot, I’m not sure about David Wright either. I agree with VW’s assessment of Matt Holliday (who is …read more

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This poll has been running for a while, but it’s gotten a little closer than I’d expected. If you haven’t voted yet, please feel free to do so. Here are some previous entries that might help you make a decision:

Checking In on the MVP Races
Holliday Over Hanley?
Who Will Be NL MVP in ‘07?

One of these days I’ll get around to looking at the American League race. Maybe even before the season ends.
[Update, Sep 23, 2007: As promised, here is the AL MVP poll. ]

That’s the question Jacob at Vegas Watch asks. Actually he asked it earlier in the week, and I’m just now getting around to it. Yes, I’m lame.
Jacob’s analysis is solid, but I disagree with the conclusion, mainly because it gives voters too much credit. Specifically, I don’t know that Prince Fielder will be penalized much for his defense if he keeps leading the league in homers, nor do I have confidence in voters’ ability to understand (or care) just how much Matt Holliday has been helped by Coors Field.
I think the race will come down to Fielder, Holliday, and last …read more

Jacob and his fellow writers at Epic Carnival have assembled a list of their choices for MVP and Cy Young awards if the season ended today. My only gripe is with the NL MVP award. Matt Holliday is enjoying a fine season, but that .299/.362/.470 line away from Coors Field is pretty pedestrian. For my money, he’s not in the same class as Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, who is putting up goofy numbers at a premium defensive position in a much more difficult environment. It also seems like Vlad Guerrero should get a little more love in the AL voting, but …read more