March To The Sea: A-Rod The Right Choice For AL MVP

I think my feelings on this issue are best described in verse. Allow me, if you will:

Aw Geez, David Ortiz?

MVPuh-Leeze.

Just a tease. Likes cook-eez.

Not my choice—it’s Brenda Lee’s.

Thank you. I’ll be at the Poetry Stop all week. One autographed photo per person.

Alex Rodriguez barely won this year’s American League Most Valuable Player award. He didn’t win by much because he plays for one of the worst teams in baseball. Plus, his season this year was actually worse than his 2001 and 2002 campaigns. And he didn’t win either of those years.

So, how did this guy end up winning? Two reasons: First, because he was the best of an oddly undeserving bunch. Second, because he’s definitely the most deserving candidate.

In the AL, there was no Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols this season. We’re left with A-Rod and Carlos Delgado, the two “statistical” MVPs, and a bunch of feel good, fuzzy stories—like David Ortiz, Jorge Posada and Shannon Stewart—who had nice seasons but who only garnered consideration because their teams won.

Let’s face it. Statistically, A-Rod blows Ortiz out of the water. A-Rod hit 47 homers. Ortiz hit 31. A-Rod had 124 runs and 118 RBIs. Ortiz had 79 runs and 101 RBIs. A-Rod had a .396 OBP and stole 17 bases to boot. Ortiz had a .369 OBP, and the Cookie Monster stole a whopping zero bases.

Rodriguez led the AL in home runs and runs scored. He was second only to Delgado in RBIs. And he’s won the Gold Glove Award for shortstops the past two seasons.

While Ortiz spent the majority of the year playing DH, the least valuable position in baseball, Rodriguez plays the hardest position in baseball better than any other American Leaguer. To put up monster numbers and be the best shortstop makes A-Rod the clear-cut MVP.

The only reason A-Rod didn’t win the last two seasons is because Texas is awful. Rodriguez is penalized because he plays for a terrible team. Frankly, that’s not his fault. I’m pretty sure A-Rod didn’t go to management and say, “I’d like a pitching staff of the following players: Justin Thomson, Colby Lewis, Ismael Valdes, Joaquin Benoit and R.A Dickey. Maybe a little Tony Mounce and Ryan Drese for dessert.”

Throw nine A-Rods out there if you want—you’d probably still lose more games than you won with those guys.

Was A-Rod the most valuable player to his Texas team? Without a doubt. No one comes close to matching his game-to-game production. But A-Rod can’t stop the opposition from hitting balls out of the park against his team. Was David Ortiz the most valuable player on the Red Sox? Honestly, I have no idea.

Wasn’t it Pedro? He had a 2.22 ERA and was nearly unhittable the second half of the year. Or was it Nomar? Middle of the year, he was the best player in baseball. He hit .339 in May and .398 in June.

Wait—it has to be Manny. He hit 37 homers—six more than Ortiz. He had 104 runs and 117 RBIs, again, both significantly better than Ortiz. His OBP was .427, leagues above his poor-fielding Red Sox counterpart.

Hell, it could have been Trot Nixon or Mike Timlin! If Ortiz isn’t even the MVP of his team, how can be the MVP of the league?

To close, I feel another verse upon me:

Another victr’y for March To The Sea

Readers, take pity on poor Brenda Lee.

—Staff writer Alex M. Sherman can be reached at sherman@fas.harvard.edu.

Editor’s Note: These columns appear as part of a weekly series. The writers encourage readers to e-mail possible debate topics.