I'm not even sure Betts is ahead of Ortiz in the MVP race. As great as Betts has been, a legitimate case could be made for Big Papi. Same goes for Machado. It all depends on where these teams finish though which might just determine who wins MVP. Altuve's numbers are pretty crazy. I think the AL MVP race is closer than the NL MVP race which seems to be between 3 guys -- Bryant, Rizzo and Murphy. Seager has been great as well, but I don't think he's in the same convo as the other 3 guys. Still got a month to go though which can change a lot.
Ortiz doesn't play the field. A primary DH has never won the MVP. I do think Betts & Ortiz will cancel each other out somewhat though. Machado had an awful July, which knocked him back. Right now I'd say it is: 1) Altuve 2) Donaldson 3) Ortiz 4) Trout 5) Betts I think Kris Bryant is the clear leader in the NL.
Totally Agree on Ted Williams being the best hitter all time.. Take into account the service during the second world and Korean wars he lost a few good years in his prime as well. Ichiro does not even come close. Ichiro is comparable to Tony Gwynn IMO. Williams was also the last guy to bat .400 in a season in the modern era, I dont think anyone is coming close to that ever.
I don't think you realize the kind of year Betts is having. On top of playing serviceable defense at the least, he has a legit shot at 30/30/100/100, something only 21 other people have done. And, of course, his team is playoff bound. Unless he falls off a cliff, he SHOULD take MVP if Altuve does not. Playing in Boston certainly only helps. Unless they decide to give Papi a going away present. EDIT: Actually, he has a legit shot at 200/30/30/100/100, something that has only been done 7 times.
Fun Altuve numbers of the day. Since the All-Star Break, Altuve has the following stats: -A .415/.456/.653 slash line. -A WRC+ of 203 (#1 AL, #2 MLB) -Generated 2.4 WAR (#1 AL, #3 MLB) -An ISO of .238 -Driven in 32 RBIs (#2 AL, #3 MLB)
To those 90's kids, do y'all remember this game called Backyard Baseball? Yeah, Jose Altuve is the real life version of Pablo Sanchez.
I don't care too much about round numbers like that, though the voters do. That wasn't how I would vote (Ortiz wouldn't be so high), but rather how I expect ballots to be. I think Ortiz & Betts will split a lot of the vote, with Ortiz getting the benefit of being a veteran, leading the league in slugging, and his retiring. Donaldson is actually slightly better than last season when he won MVP. Trout continues to be the best player in baseball. I think them plus Altuve & Betts are all very deserving of MVP, but I think being on a bad team will cost Trout again, Donaldson winning last year could lead to voters wanting to go another direction, and Betts will probably lose some votes to Papi.
He hit .400 before segregation (I'd argue it was far more impressive hitting .388 as a 38 year old). In a time before specialists. Tony Gwynn is a lifetime .338 hitter. He didn't have the power Williams had, but as far as putting bat to ball, Gwynn was the greatest ever. Ichiro is a poor man's Tony Gwynn, and I love Ichiro.
If you're a Tony Gwynn fan, and love insane stats, I cannot recommend this thread enough. Spaeder does some very cool research: https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=from:theaceofspaeder tony gwynn&src=typd … Also, I can't not mention this take from Spaeder, too: Ted Williams 1941-47 1941 - batted .406 1942 - Triple Crown 1943 - WWII 1944 - WWII 1945 - WWII 1946 - MVP 1947 - Triple Crown [insert goat emoji]
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jose Altuve leads <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLB?src=hash">#MLB</a> in BA (.355) and hits (182). Fifth in OPS (.981) and tied for third in doubles (37). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astros?src=hash">#Astros</a></p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronBrianSmith/status/770250455121219585">August 29, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
3rd in steals 3rd in WAR 6th in runs - has a teammate ranked ahead 9th in RBIs - has a teammate ranked ahead
Looking at the stats this morning, Altuve is on pace to match all of those numbers with the exception of homeruns, which he would end with 27 (on current pace). But those 3 homeruns are not enough to make up the 30 points of difference in batting average and 50 points of difference in OBP, plus Altuve plays a more premium defensive position.
...but no where nearly as well as Betts plays the OF and Betts would likely be in CF if it wasn't for an even better defensive OF on team. Altuve has been a better player due to the bat...not the defense.
My post made the case that Betts should win MVP if it wasn't Altuve, not Betts over Altuve. I am in full agreement that Altuve deserves it. It would be sweet if Altuve went on a home run tear to reach the 200/30/30/100/100 club to put a cherry on top of an incredible season.
I think for Altuve, it'll certainly help his case if the Astros make the playoffs. If they don't, however, then it gets a little murky. He still has the best chance to win the MVP, but I don't think it's as sure of a thing. Donaldson is coming on strong and he's probably Altuve's biggest competition at the moment. Mike Trout is the best player in baseball, yet again, but I don't think he's going to win MVP even with his ridiculous numbers because of how bad the Angels are this year. Betts will probably finish top 5 the way he's been coming on. I don't think he has enough of an argument over Altuve right now.
I wasn't speaking to their individual performance, just the "Valuable" part of the MVP acronym. Generally it would be much more rare to get the kind of production Altuve is giving from the 2B position, making what he is doing more "valuable". It's a minor thing but one I think voters take into consideration.
Altuve is slumping last hand-full of games. Betts and Donaldson have the playoff advantage over him and Betts has East Coast on his side and is ahead in WAR. Trout - 8.7 Betts - 7.6 Altuve - 7.3 Donaldson - 7.0 Jose will re-heat, but he can't slump for long. Home run last night maybe the beginning. Pallilo often mentions Jose is having the greatest season by a 2B since Morgan ('70s).
I prefer fWAR to bWAR. Regardless though, when it comes to MVP, it's really all about offense first and defense isn't regarded as much. In that regard, Altuve has a higher WAR than Betts. I agree on Donaldson. This last month will decide who wins MVP.
