Wednesday November 19, 2003
 

BONDS WINS SIXTH MVP

AL MVP TALK

TWINS IN ARIZONA

FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

BASKETBALL THOUGHTS

KIELTY TRADED AGAIN

OK, don’t worry, I’ll talk more about MVP voting, but most bloggers will be writing about Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols and the whole concept and criteria of the MVP Award. So, I’m going to lead with the busy day yesterday down in Oakland.

Early in the afternoon, it was reported that the Oakland A’s were going to send All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez and OF Terrence Long to the San Diego Padres for CF Mark Kotsay. The A’s desperately wanted to improve on a pathetic offensive outfield. Mark Kotsay definitely does that for the A’s, giving them a solid bat and a very good defensive center fielder. Terrance Long had greatly disappointed since being given a long-term contract a couple of years ago. The A’s were actively trying to get rid of Long, whose mouth even more than his lack of production, forced the situation.

The Padres made it known that they were looking for a catcher. It appeared that their #1 target was former Twins catcher AJ Pierzynski. The Twins had asked for a package including RHP Jake Peavy, so the Padres said no. They turned their attention to Hernandez, an All-Star last year who hit .273 with 21 homers and 78 RBI.

Obviously salary questions are a huge situation for the A’s. Mark Kotsay is due to make $5.5 million next season. Ramon Hernandez will make $2.9 million next season and Long is due $3.7 million. So by doing the math, the A’s come out a million dollars ahead and have a new center fielder.

Of course, they do need to replace Ramon Hernandez. Maybe they will give Adam Melhuse the starting job. In 40 games and 77 at bats, Melhuse hit .299/.372/.584. It is a small sample, but does appear to show some of the qualities that the A’s look for in a hitter. He gets on-base and hits for some power, both doubles and homers. They would still need a backup catcher, but they can find one of those anywhere, and for cheap.

This trade definitely benefits the A’s.  But it hasn’t been finalized as of the time this was written (should be official sometime today). But the A’s did make one trade yesterday. Billy Beane finally got the player he’s been drooling over for the past three years, former Twin OF Bobby Kielty. The A’s acquired Kielty (And a player to be named later) from the Toronto Blue Jays for LHP Ted Lilly.

Twins fans remember the day (July 16!) that Bobby Kielty was traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for Shannon Stewart. At the time, I definitely did not like the trade. I, along with many other bloggers, had to eat a lot of crow, because Shannon Stewart was a huge factor in the Twins second-half success. On the other side, Kielty struggled with the Blue Jays, hitting just .233/.342/.276 with 4 homers and 25 RBI.

The A’s have made it known that Ted Lilly was available. He was 12-10 with a 4.35 ERA for the A’s last year, but he enters arbitration and could be due for a million dollar raise next season. Teams hate to give up pitching, but the A’s do have The Big Three (Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder), and they’re ready to put Canadian phenom Rich Harden into the #4 spot in the rotation. Justin Duchscherer, another member of Team USA this fall, had a great 2003 at AAA and should be able to perform as the A’s fifth starter. In other words, the A’s could do without Lilly, but really feel their need is in the outfield. Beane has loved Kielty for a long time and was able to get him.

So, big picture, the A’s and their fans should be very happy with the deals of yesterday.

Players Added: CF Mark Kotsay ($5.5 million), OF Bobby Kielty ($340,000), PTBNL.

Players Lost: OF Terrence Long ($3.9 million), C Ramon Hernandez ($2.4 million), LHP Ted Lilly (approximately $1.5 million in arbitration).

The A’s clearly had a plan to improve their outfield. The rid themselves of the enigma of Terrence Long and picked up two very solid big league outfielders. They lost Hernandez, which could hurt some, but I’m sure Beane is high on Melhuse, there there is a savings of $2.1 million. Then, they lose Lilly, who despite being a decent starting pitcher, can be replaced by a probably equally good, minimum salary pitcher. Another savings of about a million dollars.

That’s how it works in today’s baseball economics. “Small-market” teams have to be creative to try to keep their salaries down. And, as I mentioned after the AJ Trade, I think teams can be just as good if the young guys produce.

That said, I think that the Blue Jays and Padres got what they wanted too. The Blue Jays already had a very strong offense, so they get a solid pitcher in Lilly. The Padres did great too. They had an abundance of good outfielders, so Kotsay was expendable. They wanted a catcher, and it took taking the Long contract to acquire one that they wanted.

Do you have any thoughts on the A’s trades? If so, feel free to e-mail me.
 

BONDS WINS MVP

Yesterday, Barry Bonds won his sixth National League MVP award. To put that into a little perspective, no player has won more than three MVP awards. Then when you realize that in 1991, he lost a very close MVP vote to the Braves Terry Pendleton, he could have seven.

If you take a look back at my MVP ballot, I chose Barry Bonds as my NL MVP over Albert Pujols. I would have completely been OK with Pujols winning too. Here are the comments I made back then regarding the top two:

#2 - Albert Pujols - OF/1B - St. Louis Cardinals

If it weren’t for the greatest player of all-time, Albert Pujols’ season would garner a 100% 1^st place vote in the MVP race. He hit .359/.439/.667 with 51 doubles, 43 home runs and 124 RBI for the Cards. He played in 157 games and had 591 at bats. He walked 79 times and struck out just 65 times. The Cardinals season was disappointing, but they were in to playoff race until the final weekend, and Albert Pujols was a huge part of that.

And the 2003 SethSpeaks National League MVP is….

BARRY BONDS - OF - San Francisco Giants

Barry Bonds only played in 130 of the Giants 161 games. He only had 390 at bats. How can he be the league MVP? Pure dominance. There isn’t a better, more valuable player in the game of baseball this year, this decade, maybe ever. No batter has been as feared as Bonds. He had 148 walks, with just 58 strikeouts. He hit .341/.529/.749 with 22 doubles, 45 home runs and 90 RBI. Some will say that he can’t win it without driving in 100 runs. Well, he was intentionally walked most of the time he came up with any runners on base. It’s truly amazing what Barry Bonds does. Let’s also not forget that Bonds missed time to spend with his father. Not that that gives him extra points. But remember that the Giants actually lost 6 games that Bonds didn’t play in so that he could be with his father. When he came back, he hit 2 game winning home runs in three games against the Braves. His father then passed away, and the Giants lost more games. Since he’s been back, they’ve been great again. And, remember that Bonds doesn’t exactly have much of a supporting cast around him. All that put together comprise the reasons I believe Barry Bonds is this year’s NL MVP. If he does win it, it will be his 6^th MVP award.

Well, I was right, Bonds did win the award. What surprised me was just how big of a landslide it was. I did figure that the number of games he missed would be a big factor. Bonds received 28 of the 32 first-place votes. Albert Pujols did finish second. He got 3 of the 32 first-place votes and 29 second place votes. Braves outfielder Gary Sheffield got the final first-place vote, which must have come from an Atlanta writer, right? Jim Thome and Javy Lopez rounded out the top 5. Basically, the National League was a much more clear cut vote than that AL debacle from Monday! The votes were essentially Bonds #1 and Pujols #2, and after that were really just details.

There are a number of great articles on Barry Bonds, including Rob Neyer asking if Bonds is the greatest ever. If you are a long time reader of this site, you will remember a column I wrote the first week called The Greatest Ever. In it, I looked at a number of statistics, some raw numbers because I think longevity plays a role in ‘greatness’, but I also did some comparisons to the league averages during their eras. I had Barry Bonds ranked #4 all-time, but that was before the season started. It is very possible that with his additional numbers, he could have moved up more.
 

A-Rod AL MVP THOUGHTS

There were a lot of articles written about A-Rod finally winning an MVP. Awhile back, we had a Question of the Week to discuss what the readers of this site felt the MVP Award should represent. Check that out for a quick reminder. If you’d like, e-mail me your answer to the question. If I get a few of them, I will post them.

As I mentioned yesterday (and numerous times before), I disagreed with that selection of Alex Rodriguez. I really enjoyed reading Jayson Stark’s take on the vote. I agree on much of what he says, however, I think that by saying that the voters should review how voting has been done in the past isn’t the right thing to do. I love that the term “valuable” isn’t clearly defined and it creates so much discussion. I don’t think there is one right way to vote for MVP, even if the stat-heads want you to think there is.

Also, be sure to check out Jayson’s article from last month, explaining further why he wouldn’t vote for Rodriguez.

One question has popped into my head reading some of these discussions. Where did the idea come from that the MVP has to come from a playoff team? I certainly don’t believe that. Albert Pujols wasn’t on a playoff team, but he was on a team that contended for most of the season. Carlos Delgado and the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t make the playoffs, but they contended in the AL East for a long time, and that was because of Carlos Delgado.

The article I wanted to point out though was a side bar by Tom Candiotti, listing some of the reasons that he thinks that Alex Rodriguez should have been MVP. I have to point out a couple of them and explain why they are ludicrous, starting with Paragraph #1!

I'm glad that A-Rod has finally won the MVP award. It's an overdue honor, because I thought he deserved it last year (when Miguel Tejada won). In fact, I see A-Rod as the cumulative MVP over the past 10 years.

So the MVP is no longer a single season award? Basically, he’s writing that A-Rod deserves the award for two reasons. First, because he should have won it in 2002. Second, because it should be a cumulative award. I disagree with both of those thoughts. It is the 2003 AL MVP. Not the 2002 MVP. Not the Best AL Player over the past decade award. 

He's had better years numbers-wise, but he definitely deserved it this year because there were no standout candidates on any of the playoff teams.

He ‘definitely deserved it’ because no one deserved it on a playoff team. Again, I don’t think that the criteria is getting to the playoffs, just keeping your team in contention for a good amount of the season. Again, I think Delgado did that.

I don't believe the MVP needs to come from a winning team, though. I see the award as a player-of-the-year accolade. But if two MVP candidates have similar numbers, I would defer to a candidate from a playoff team (that would be a tiebreaker).

First, it’s not called the Player of the Year Award. It’s the Most Valuable Player Award. And to repeat, Delgado and Rodriguez did have very similar numbers, so I would defer to the candidate that kept his team about .500 at least.

Some writers question how difficult it can be for a player to post big numbers on a losing team that's nowhere near first place. They say that it's more impressive for an MVP candidate to perform in the pressure of a pennant race. There might be some truth to that, but remember, A-Rod has played under plenty of pressure to perform ... pressure in the form of his $250 million contract.

A-Rod didn’t have a pressured at bat after Memorial Day. I definitely agree that numbers are more impressive later in the year, during a pennant race. Managers manage differently. Pitchers are used differently.  And, I don’t think that his contract should be a factor in the least when it comes to the MVP award. Production and winning are what matters, regardless of if he’s making $22 million or $300,000. So, in my mind, that “pressure” can not be used.

Before and after he signed that huge deal with Texas, A-Rod has been such a consistent performer. His numbers are so good year in and year out, but he's been hurt in the MVP voting because the Rangers have been a sub.-500 team. And A-Rod's work ethic is incredible. He didn't rest on his laurels after signing that contract. He's worked hard to stay at the top of his game.

Again, justification for the huge contract shouldn’t be a factor. There are a lot of players that work hard to stay at the top of their games, or work hard to get a call up, or work hard to contribute in any way to the team. So, I think this is a terrible argument for the MVP award. He’s right on the facts that he has continued to be a very consistent performer. He has made himself one of the best hitters in baseball. I can’t and won’t argue that. I just don’t think that anything in this paragraph makes him an MVP.

In the future, I'd like to see the commissioner's office define the criteria for the MVP award so all the writers are on the same page. This year, though, they got it right.

And I disagree with this point even more than any of the others. I think that the question of “What is Valuable?” is great for the game. Look, it’s a month since the World Series finished and people are discussing baseball with fervor, with passion, and that’s a good thing! I don’t think it’s as simple as following an equation to the MVP award. Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is a great tool. Runs Created Above Average (RCAA) is a great tool. OPS is a great tool. But as I’ve stated before, stats don’t always tell the entire story. They don’t. If numbers like that are what make the MVP, then why even have a vote? Just figure out the math and call the leader the MVP. That’s not good! So, Mr. Selig, please don’t try to explain this process. Please don’t formalize the MVP voting.

Finally, how about the following quote by Alex Rodriguez, maybe that tells you a little bit why his team, the Texas Rangers haven’t been able to win:

I felt like I was driving myself crazy over this award.

So, basically, he isn’t playing to win games, he’s playing to win the MVP award. Why not? He gets even more money if he wins it! That’s the problem with winning not playing a role in the MVP award.

How about this scenario: Mid-September, Player A is at bat with a runner on 2B and nobody out, down by a run in the 8^th inning. His team is 30 games out of contention. The count is 0-2. What does that batter do? Take a hack for the fence. Why not? Winning the game doesn’t really matter, but padding his stats do. Strike three. The next two guys get out and the team loses.

Now, under the same conditions (runner on second, no outs, down a run in the 8^th inning). Except Player B’s team is tied for the division lead with just 8 games to play. The count goes to 0-2. What should that player do? Take that curve ball on the outer part of the plate and hit a grounder to 2B. Move the runner from second to third base, and give the next guy a chance to give your team the lead.

Now tell me which player is more valuable to his team. To his team’s success. Success, of course, being winning the game and getting to the playoffs, right?

To the jury and judges, whoever you are, I rest my case.

Let me know what you think. I’d love to hear more thoughts on this. E-mail me.

By the way, here are my final results, how well (or non-well) I predicted the 2003 awards:

TWINS IN ARIZONA

Each week, I have been including the statistics of the Twins players participating in the Arizona Fall League. They all were given the opportunity to get more at bats and innings pitched, against some great competition against some of the top prospects in baseball. The league just concluded, so below, you will find the final statistics of the Twins players who too part in the Arizona Fall League. I should point out that recently acquired Boof Bonser was a member of the same team as the rest of the Twins prospects, the Scottsdale Rafters, so I will include his numbers as well.

Olympic Qualifying - Three Twins were on Team USA. They played 13 games in the Arizona Fall League before playing a couple of games against Team Canada and then heading down to Panama City for the Olympic Qualifying tournament. Of course, while there, they won their three games in pool play and then lost in their quarterfinal game to Mexico, which created quite a stir in the USA baseball community. Here are the Twins players who played on Team USA, their stats in Arizona, and then their stats from the tournament in Panama.

If you have any questions on these Twins prospects, be sure to e-mail me, or check out a posting I did a couple of months ago on some of the Twins minor leaguers who had very good seasons called Twins Prospects… Mauer and More.
 

FOOTBALL THOUGHTS

It appears we have found how the Vikings are dealing with their adversity, the adversity of their current four game losing streak. Yesterday, I wrote that rookie DL Kevin Williams got a DUI. Well, yesterday it came out that Kenny Mixon also got a DUI when he was arrested at 3 a.m. on Tuesday with a blood alcohol level of 0.19. Speaking of negative ways of dealing with adversity…

It was announced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to deactivate WR Keyshawn Johnson for the rest of the year saying that he is too much of a distraction to the team. They will look to trade him after the season. I think most people may be initially surprised by this decision, but then they’ll step back and won’t be too surprised. I guess I’m in that category. I’m not overly surprised by that decision.

That doesn’t mean that I agree with the decision. I think it could have been handled far better. Jon Gruden could have benched Johnson first, or even for the rest of the season. Maybe that would provide a spark to Johnson to motivate him.

But let’s be honest, Keyshawn Johnson has never been as good as he, or the media, or anyone really seems to think he is. Yes, he talks, and I have no problem with that. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens talk a lot too. The difference is that Moss and Owens back it up with a lot of receptions, a lot of yards and actually know what it’s like to catch a ball in the end zone.

Any thoughts? E-mail me.
 

BASKETBALL THOUGHTS

The Wolves improved to 6-5 last night with an easy win over the Denver Nuggets (who dropped to 5-5). It was the first the Wolves saw of rookie phenom Carmelo Anthony. Anthony scored 10 points and added 9 rebounds, but was just 3-12 from the field. Kevin Garnett led the Wolves (Again) with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. He’s just a joy to get to watch!  Gary Trent was set up for some easy shots throughout the game and ended up shooting 7-9 from the field for 14 points. We knew Fred Hoiberg could shoot. He had 12 points, but he also chipped in with 9 rebounds. Mark Madsen, starting at center, added 9 points and 7 rebounds. Sam Cassell was in some foul trouble, so Keith McLoud had to play a lot of minutes. In 25 minutes, he scored 4 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and added 8 assists, but again had zero turnovers. Trenton Hassell and Latrell Sprewell did a great job defensively on both Carmelo Anthony and Voshon Lenard throughout the game. Next up? The Wolves travel to Cleveland to get a look at the other star rookie, Lebron James. It will be another nationally televised game on ESPN. That should be fun to watch. The Cavs, despite their poor record are fun to watch. Between Lebron, Darius Miles and Ricky Davis, there is a lot of energy and plenty of highlight reel moves!

In another basketball news item, Orlando fired Doc Rivers. The move has been expected for a couple of weeks already. They have started the season with a 1-10 record, and Rivers is taking the fall. I guess that’s how it works. Rivers will catch on with another team next season, I’m sure, if that’s what he wants to do.

Well, that’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by the site again. Feel free to leave me any e-mail you’d like. Have a great Wednesday!

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