Kenny, Rosenthal and O’Dowd each prefer Trout for AL MVP

[Blarg]

On 9/21/2016 at 6:14 PM, ScottT said:

Bottom line is Trout has the best numbers across the board.   

The arguments against him being the MVP are ludicrous.  JP Morosi yesterday gave Betts credit for being a great right fielder that moved from second base. Maybe he is a great right fielder, but who cares how he got there?  I'm much more interested in the value provided by a CF vs a RF.   

The counter argument is Trout is a great center fielder that moved from shortstop. Just as irrelevant. 

[Blarg]

5 hours ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don't think East Coast bias really applies to the MVP race. 

You are talking about 30 people, and 2 who cover each team. The same number who cover the Angels as the Royals and the Yankees. And each person puts hours of research into it, not a knee jerk decision based on who they saw on SportsCenter. 

You don't have to see Trout to get his case. You just have to look at baseball-reference. 

If Trout doesn't win it will be for one reason: the Angels aren't good. 

If the competition for MVP was on teams not in a playoff race then Trout wins easily.

Some nod has to be to the guy that still performs under pressure. It's much harder to be good when every team wants to drop you out of the playoffs,  whether it is as spoilers or competitors for the same prize. Right now the Angels have no pressure and Trout can play as loose as he wants without having to put the onus on himself to carry the team. 

Betts has more on his plate right now and for the majority of the season. That is the non stat portion of the voting that many want to ignore. 

[Angel Oracle]

When did the MVP award's team criteria change from when the last place Cubs' Andre Dawson won the NL MVP in 1987? 

Betts' September to now:  .396 OBP but also a sub .400 SLG% (only 4 doubles and 1 HR)

Trout's September to now: .443 OBP and a near .500 SLG%

Altuve's September to now:  .303 OBP and a sub .670 OPS

Donaldson's September to now:  .379 OBP but also a sub .400 SLG% (only 5 doubles and 2 HRs)

Machado's September to now:  .787 OPS (and just an .837 OPS since the ASB)

Big Poopy's September......no way a DH wins it anyway  

Trout still has a chance, and it should be no more than a true 3 player race between Trout, Betts, and Donaldson.

Add one more:  Trout's 10.3 WAR.

[Taylor]

3 hours ago, Blarg said:

If the competition for MVP was on teams not in a playoff race then Trout wins easily.

Some nod has to be to the guy that still performs under pressure. It's much harder to be good when every team wants to drop you out of the playoffs,  whether it is as spoilers or competitors for the same prize. Right now the Angels have no pressure and Trout can play as loose as he wants without having to put the onus on himself to carry the team. 

Bettis has more on his plate right now and for the majority of the season. That is the non stat portion of the voting that many want to ignore. 

You could just as easily argue there's is an "intangible" in which Betts is motivated to hit well because his team has won 10 games in a row, while Trout could lose focus because his team is going nowhere. I don't think the MVP should be based on things you can't really measure and can only speculate about.

[Jeff Fletcher]

4 hours ago, Blarg said:

If the competition for MVP was on teams not in a playoff race then Trout wins easily.

Some nod has to be to the guy that still performs under pressure. It's much harder to be good when every team wants to drop you out of the playoffs,  whether it is as spoilers or competitors for the same prize. Right now the Angels have no pressure and Trout can play as loose as he wants without having to put the onus on himself to carry the team. 

Bettis has more on his plate right now and for the majority of the season. That is the non stat portion of the voting that many want to ignore. 

It's absolutely valid to use that as a tie-breaker if two players have very similar numbers. I'm sure the people who don't vote for Trout will justify it that way. It depends which numbers you look at. In some, it really is close between Trout and Betts, so you can justify picking the guy in a pennant race. In others, it's not close though. 

[Oz27]

Trout OPS+: 174

Betts OPS+: 133

 

Trout OBP: .438

Betts OBP: .366

 

Trout wRC+: 170

Betts wRC+: 137

 

Trout wOBA: .417

Betts wOBA: .383

 

Trout batting runs above average: 62

Betts batting runs above average: 31

 

That last metric is my favorite. Trout has provided double the hitting value Betts has this year. Betts is viewed as a slightly better baserunner (three runs better than Trout). Some fielding metrics say Betts has been much better than Trout (DRS puts the difference at 24 runs) but I think most would have to find that debatable. You would have to believe the fielding difference is that big - and then some really - just to make the race close. Even then, Trout has still been a better player. Betts has had a pretty awesome season, but there sure as hell has not been a logical argument made to justify why the award should be given to a clearly inferior player.