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MLB: Offseason Sweepstakes Edition


Myshkin

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And Braun wraps up the awards season with a solid margin:

1. Braun (388)

2. Kemp (332)

3. Prince Fielder (229)

4. Justin Upton (214)

5. Albert Pujols (166)

6. Joey Votto (135)

7. Lance Berkman (118)

8. Troy Tulowitzki (69)

9. Roy Halladay (52)

10. Ryan Howard (39)

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Hey I am all for Braun taking this...though I am more than a little bias.

I think he deserved it, not just because the Brewers were in the playoffs, but because they were in contention for the entire season. At bats that have a certain amount of pressure have to be worth something, not to mention all the clutch moments Braun had in games that actually meant something.

Kemp had a great year, but Braun's was nearly as good in a much more pressure filled environment.

I am prepared to field all the flamers........now. =P

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Kemp had a great year, but Braun's was nearly as good in a much more pressure filled environment.

I am prepared to field all the flamers........now. =P

Kemp shouldn't be punished for having a shitty team around him. And by shitty, I mean smelling like a Bum. :P

Plus, shouldn't the stress of having to watch McCourt drama unfold around you make up for a lack of playoff pressure? If we're going to randomly quantify intangibles, anyway.

And CF vs. LF, etc, etc.

Didn't really like the Verlander pick, but that was mainly because I was just really hoping for Bautista. Irrationally, I guess. I'm a fangirl.

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Kemp's not being punished for having a bad team around him. He got a contract worth $160. Given that Kemp didn't have numbers that absolutely crushed Braun's, I have no problem with Braun getting the nod. With numbers that are close, I'd give the Valuable award to the player that managed to lead his team to a successful season.

I don't like the Verlander pick, but only because I think of the Cy as "MVPitcher" and the MVP as "MVPositionPlayer." Just my take on it, I know most people don't agree with that sentiment.

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With numbers that are close, I'd give the Valuable award to the player that managed to lead his team to a successful season.

Isn't "lead his team to a successful season" a bit of a stretch when he has a teammate finishing just behind him in the MVP voting, not to mention valuable pitchers, etc?

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No it's not. He was the best player on his team. And Kemp had the (unfairly not-unanimous) Cy Young winner in his rotation. Without getting into advanced metrics, LA had a better team ERA than Milwaukee. Braun had help on his offense, yes. But he did remarkably well himself. Why should he be punished for being on a successful team?

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I don't like the Verlander pick, but only because I think of the Cy as "MVPitcher" and the MVP as "MVPositionPlayer." Just my take on it, I know most people don't agree with that sentiment.

I'm with you. Especially in the A.L. You play once every 5 days and you don't even have to bat? Kind of a slap in the face to the position players.

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People who gave Braun a first place vote aren't as crazy as the guy who gave Michael Young a first place vote for the AL MVP.

Or whoever put Ryan Howard in 4th place in the NL, for that matter. Sheesh.

At least you know Kemp can console himself with $160 million that he lined up after this season's performance, MVP or no.

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No it's not. He was the best player on his team. And Kemp had the (unfairly not-unanimous) Cy Young winner in his rotation. Without getting into advanced metrics, LA had a better team ERA than Milwaukee. Braun had help on his offense, yes. But he did remarkably well himself. Why should he be punished for being on a successful team?

Ok, but if you actually get into not-so-advanced metrics, then doesn't that sort of deflate that argument you just made? :P Dodger Stadium is a pitcher's park, certainly compared to where the Brewers play, so not only does that make Kemp's numbers look even better, but it actually makes the Brewers' ERA+ better than the Dodgers'.

(Incidentally, use that same argument for why Kershaw Cy Young voting wasn't unanimous. When you add in park factors, Halladay looks more comparable.)

But yeah, they're all good. Except for Michael Young, who I'm surprised didn't show up on the NL MVP ballot because he's just such a flexible, leader-y guy.

ETA: I need to go take a shower after defending Dodgers. Disgusting.

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First off I'm not too miffed about Braun getting the MVP, he had a great year. But really Kemp had a better one, and I just can't get behind the argument that Braun played for a contender. I don't see why a team's record should have any impact on an individual award.

As for the pressure to perform in meaningful games, well I read an article a few weeks ago (can't find it, or it'd be linked) about the pressure of playing in meaningless games; why bother trying, why bother taking that extra bp, why bother doing all that extra work you need to do to perform at an MVP level if you're not going anywhere anyway?

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Kat, it sounds like we don't actually have huge issues with each other's theoretical votes. I wouldn't be upset if Kemp had gotten it. Personally, I'd go Braun, but Kemp was great.

I feel dirty actually advocating for a Brewer. They used to be our rivals, before they got moved to the NL.

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That's a good point. There are probably two things that we can all agree on, and they are as follows:

1) The Houston Astros are an obscenity

2) The American League is an obscenity

Ergo - Combining them only makes sense.

Very nicely put.

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First off I'm not too miffed about Braun getting the MVP, he had a great year. But really Kemp had a better one, and I just can't get behind the argument that Braun played for a contender. I don't see why a team's record should have any impact on an individual award.

As for the pressure to perform in meaningful games, well I read an article a few weeks ago (can't find it, or it'd be linked) about the pressure of playing in meaningless games; why bother trying, why bother taking that extra bp, why bother doing all that extra work you need to do to perform at an MVP level if you're not going anywhere anyway?

Mysh-

As a former ball player at several levels above High School ball I am here to tell you it is FAR easier to perform when there is no pressure than when there is...at least that was my experience. Being calm and relaxed is a huge part of being successful in baseball.

Kat-

I absolutely think a team's position in the playoff picture should have some impact on the MVP vote for this very reason.

Again, I am not taking away anything from Kemp...the guy came just a few points away from the Triple Crown for crying out loud, but his season was not THAT much better than Braun's and in fact Braun had some pretty important stats that were better than Kemp's.

Average, Slugging, OPS, wOBA, and wRC+.

He was not WAY ahead on any of these...though Kemp wasn't WAY ahead of Braun either...and Braun did it for the NL Central Champs while Kemp's team? Well not so much.

Trisky-

It's hard not to like Braun. He seems a little cocky on the field but in all off field interviews he seems extremely humble. Also you never hear about a single bad thing the guy has done. I am happy he is a Brewer until 2020.

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Again, I am not taking away anything from Kemp...the guy came just a few points away from the Triple Crown for crying out loud, but his season was not THAT much better than Braun's and in fact Braun had some pretty important stats that were better than Kemp's.

Average, Slugging, OPS, wOBA, and wRC+.

They're like basically the same, give or take a few points, and Braun did it in a hitter's park while playing a less difficult position. Really, I think it's the position that makes Kemp more valuable, but I'm really only arguing for the sake of arguing 'cause it's not like I can do anything worth shit when it comes to team sports. :P

Seriously, though, I think the arguments for Braun vs Kemp were basically the same as Bautista vs. Ellbury in the AL, just the AL writers decided to fuck the whole debate and vote for Verlander over either of the best 2 hitters, whereas for some reason the NL writers did not. :dunno:

On a completely different note, I don't understand a lot of the new stuff in the new CBA in that a lot of it seems like the players agreed to let the owners save money by not paying future prospects very much. Then again, my union kind of does the same thing when it negotiates, so I guess maybe I do understand. :rolleyes:

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But seriously, by definition Fielder and Braun being on the same team should have given the award to Kemp automatically, regardless of comparable stats individually.

Unless the award is renamed "Most Valuable Tandem (the not fat guy gets the award though.)"

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Can't really blame Braun for having Prince though can you? What if Ethier would have had a season like he can have and Kemp would have won the Triple Crown? Would that have diminished Kemp's achievement? I don't think so, and I don't think having Fielder should diminish Braun's season.

Again, I am a total Braun fanboy and could not be more excited about him getting MVP. I am also incredibly hopeful that the Brewers can keep Fielder and he wins the MVP next year. Also it would be sweet if the Brewers could sign Reyes and get Marcum and Greinke into a long term deal but...I don't see any of that happening.

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