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 you probably know by now, Rollins was named NL MVP.

It’s not Rollins’ fault that the voters botched this, so I don’t begrudge him the award in the slightest. Congratulations to Rollins and Rodriguez.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Larry on baseball writers:

I commend you for your restraint, Geoff. Baseball writers have been so wretched they shouldn’t have a say in ANY post-season awards OR the HOF.

Go to the HOF site and see what the writers have done since 1936. The first ballot was tough, with Cobb, Ruth, Honus Wagner, Hornsby and Walter Johnson on the ballot.

400-game winner Johnson got in, but 500-game winner Cy Young didn’t. He got in the next year, in 1937 – with 76%. Imagine, 24% of writers didn’t think Cy Young belonged in the Hall.

Honus Wagner and his 8 batting titles and .327 lifetime average got in, but Hornsby’s 7 NL titles and .358 average got less than half the vote. I guess they forgot about his three .400 seasons or his two triple crowns.

Hornsby not only didn’t get in, he was dropped from the ballot in ‘37. He got back on in ‘38 and got 19% of the vote. He was finally voted into the Hall in 1942, with 78% of the vote.

The writers have been stiffs since day one. You were much too kind, Geoff.

Rain Delay on Seattle’s managerial situation:

The Mariners are under .500 with John Mclaren at the helm. You’d think all of the time as he spent as Lou’s bench coach he would’ve learned, something… heck anything…

I pray that he’s not hired on for 2008.

Sorry, bud; next time pray harder.

Vegas Watch on the Arizona Diamondbacks:

In looking back at various preseason predictions, I think it’s interesting that everybody was so wrong about the Diamondbacks, but ended up being right (if that makes sense).

As you said, the young hitters didn’t come through, as they’re third to last in the NL in R/G. The pitching ended up carrying them – third in the NL in ERA.

That adds up to about an average team, but of course they completely outperformed their Pythag record. I doubt there has ever been a team that has ended up being this different from people’s expectations, yet finishes (potentially) right where everybody expected.

Joe Ruiz on classic rock:

If I hear Foghat during the next commercial, I’m switching to Gameday Audio.

Derrick on Jimmy Rollins for MVP:

J-Roll has put up historical numbers from the lead off spot. He also should win the Gold Glove. Holliday is not a leader the way that Jimmy Rollins is. Nor is he the defensive player that Rollins is. The MVP is the single player that helps their own team to win and to hold that team together. J-Roll backs up what he says. Have you guys heard of Super Bowl III? Great players back it up on the field. No player in baseball has held a team together like Jimmy has this year.

BV on the AL Cy Young race:

Other than the fact that Josh Beckett has one more win than CC How can anyone build a legit case that Beckett deserves the CY… CC should win in a landslide…

And there you have it…

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Post from: Knuckle Curve

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 inclined…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Jake Peavy and Josh Fogg at Coors Field. Updates throughout the evening…

[Update: Lineups have been posted. No real surprises. On the Padres' side, Scott Hairston starts in left for the injured Milton Bradley, while Brady Clark replaces Mike Cameron in center.]

[Update: Kevin Kouzmanoff bloops a single down the right field line for the game's first base hit.]

[Update: Fogg comes back from down 3-0 to get Adrian Gonzalez swinging on a pitch down and in for the final out of the inning.]

[Update: Kaz Matsui doubles to right-center on an 0-2 count to start the Rockies' first.]

[Update: Peavy walks Matt Holliday to load the bases with nobody out. Not the start he'd envisioned, I'm sure.]

[Update: Todd Helton takes Clark to the wall in dead center to drive home the game's first run.]

[Update: Peavy gives up an RBI single to Garrett Atkins but escapes without further damage. Rox up 2-0 after one.]

[Update: Fogg works another uneventful inning, giving up just a one-out single to Josh Bard.]

[Update: Yorvit Torrealba leads off the second with a homer to left on a 2-1 hanging slider. Peavy is not locating his pitches at all.]

[Update: Troy Tulowitzki is called out on strikes to end the inning. Rockies lead 3-0; Peavy has thrown 40 pitches through two.]

[Update: Padres have bases loaded, nobody out in third with 3-4-5 hitters coming up.]

[Update: With one out, Adrian Gonzalez launches a grand slam to right. Khalil Greene follows with a long single to left.]

[Update: Clark grounds to shortstop, but Geoff Blum takes out Matsui at second, who gets nothing on the throw to first. Padres avoid the double play and go up, 5-3.]

[Update: Helton homers to right with one out in the third. It's going to be one of those nights.]

[Update: Peavy works a perfect fourth. Still 5-4.]

[Update: Gonzalez leads off with a double to right. Brad Hawpe didn't get a good jump on the ball. Fogg is done for the evening.]

[Update: Taylor Buchholz replaces Fogg and retires the side in order, leaving Gonzalez stranded at second.]

[Update: Matt Holliday singles home Tulowitzki; game is tied again, 5-5. How much longer will Bud Black stick with Peavy?]

[Update: Peavy survives the fifth. He's now at 91 pitches.]

[Update: Torrealba leads off the sixth with a slow bouncer to third. He's out by plenty but for some reason dives into first base; lucky he didn't get hurt.]

[Update: Matsui drives home Seth Smith on a fly ball to center. Smith reached on a ball to center that Clark misjudged into a triple. Clark's weak arm can't get Smith at home. Clark then misplays another fly ball off the bat of Tulowitzki into a triple. The absence of Cameron is killing San Diego.]

[Update: Peavy gets Holliday swinging to end the sixth. Rox up, 6-5.]

[Update: Garrett Atkins hits a one-out double to left that Clint Hurdle argues unsuccessfully is a home run. Heath Bell replaces Peavy and, with runners at first and second, strikes out Ryan Spilborghs and Torrealba to end the inning. Still 6-5 through seven.]

[Update: With two out in the eighth and Blum on second, lefty Brian Fuentes gets Brian Giles to fly to left, but Matt Holliday misplays the ball into what is ruled a double. Blum scores to tie the game at 6-6.]

[Update: Manuel Corpas retires the Padres in order in the ninth. Rockies have 4-5-6 hitters coming up in the bottom half. Will Bell work another inning, or will Black go with closer Trevor Hoffman?]

[Update: Black stays with Bell.]

[Update: Bell issues a two-out walk to Hawpe but strikes out pinch hitter Joe Koshansky to send the game into extra innings. Colorado brings in its seventh pitcher of the night, ex-Padre Matt Herges.]

[Update: Padres put two runners on in the 10th but Giles grounds to short to end the inning. Mike Cameron, who hurt his hand in a collision with Milton Bradley last week, pinch ran for Terrmel Sledge, who walked for Clark. Apparently Cameron will play center. Interesting.]

[Update: Cameron in center, Doug Brocail on the mound for San Diego.]

[Update: Brocail retires the Rockies in order; to the 11th...]

[Update: Hairston reaches on an error by Jamey Carroll, in at third base for defensive purposes. Kouzmanoff sacrifices Hairston to second; after an intentional walk to Gonzalez, up comes Greene and his career .340/.407/.708 line at Coors Field.]

[Update: Carroll atones for his error, starting a 5-3 double play off the bat of Greene to end the inning.]

[Update: With two out in the bottom of the 11th, Brocail walks Helton and gives up a single to Carroll. Rookie left-hander Joe Thatcher will face Hawpe with the Padres' season on the line.]

[Update: Thatcher strikes out Hawpe on five straight fastballs. To the 12th...]

[Update: Padres again put a runner in scoring position with less than two out but cannot score. Herges breaks Michael Barrett's bat on a full-count pitch and gets him to ground to short for the final out. Rockies have the 7-8-9 hitters due up.]

[Update: Thatcher retires the side in order. Would you believe... the 13th?]

[Update: Jorge Julio in to pitch. Walk to Giles, two-run homer to Hairston. San Diego up, 8-6. Julio is trying to throw every pitch through a brick wall -- to little effect.]

[Update: Rookie Chase Headley lines a pinch single; Julio is done.]

[Update: No further damage against Ramon Ortiz, Colorado's ninth pitcher of the evening. Hoffman will work the bottom of the 13th and face Matsui, Tulowitzki, and Holliday.]

[Update: Matsui leads off with a double to right-center. Tying run now up at the plate.]

[Update: Tulowitzki just misses lining a double down the right field line that would have scored Matsui.]

[Update: Tulowitzki doubles to left-center. Holliday triples to deep right. Tie game. Runner at third with nobody out. Hoffman couldn't get it done in Milwaukee, and it looks like he's not going to get it done in Denver either.]

[Update: Carroll flies to shallow right, Holliday scores the winning run. Rockies play Philadelphia. Padres season is done.]

Post from: Knuckle Curve

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 October games in a very long time, Colorado could be a lot tougher than folks think. And if they do win today, I expect them to reach the World Series.

As a Padres fan, I hope it doesn’t go down that way…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

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 getting some love in our NL poll):

He’s been good (and those 131 RBIs are going to be real tough for the voters to pass up if the Rockies somehow sneak into the playoffs), but he really doesn’t belong in the MVP discussion.

Holliday has had a monstrous (.357/.434/.833) September, and I suspect that if Colorado plays even one postseason game, he’s the winner. I remain in the Wright camp, despite his team’s late collapse.

[Update, Sep 29, 2007: An AP article doesn’t even mention Wright as a possibility.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

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. ]

Post from: Knuckle Curve

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 year’s winner, Ryan Howard. How would I vote? Not sure, but probably Hanley Ramirez (despite his defensive shortcomings) or David Wright.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Post from: Knuckle Curve