Ever since Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown, there has been mass discussion among sports journalists and other "experts" about whether Miggy deserves to be the AL MVP. The nay-sayers argue that outfielder Mike Trout is just as worthy of the award. My question is "Are they for real?"
I mean, first off, Trout's a rookie. No rookie has ever won the MVP. I don't count Ichiro in 2001 because he was the best player in Japanese Professional Baseball before coming to America to get rich. Also, Trout's team, the LA Angels, didn't even make the playoffs, despite spending the GDP of Nicaragua on (not so) free agents during the off-season. When they signed Albert Pujols, 3-time MVP, 2 time World Champion, and undisputed best player in the sport over the last dozen years, and Wilson, the anchor of a staff coming off two straight World Series appearances, the Angels were expected to not only win their division, but were an early favorite to win it all. However, these three much-hyped new additions, despite putting up impressive numbers, failed to help the team's bottom line, that being wins. The Angels, with Mike Trout patrolling center and hitting lead-off, "Phat" Albert hitting behind him, and Wilson taking the ball every fifth day, the Angels only won three more games than they did in 2011. While the team's letdown certainly wasn't Trout’s fault, he obviously wasn't a huge difference maker.
On the other hand, Miguel Cabrera was the main cog on a Tiger team that came from 3 games back with less than two weeks left to steal the division from the White Sox. Cabrera didn't just lead the league in the three Triple Crown categories; he stood at, or near, the top of the leaderboard in virtually every remotely important offensive category. He was 1st in SLG% and OPS, and 2nd in runs and hits. The only statistical categories in which Trout surpassed Cabrera were: triples, steals, runs and on-base-percentage, though the latter was a very slim victory (Trout ranked 3rd in OPS, Cabrera was 4th). While Trout did beat Cabrera very handily in the other two stats, he should not be faulted for this. His poor performance in the speed categories wasn't due to his unwillingness to leg out a triple or take a big lead, but rather lack of opportunity. He never had an opportunity to steal bases because he was always jogging around them, four at a time, every time he hit a moon shot. Take a look at their stats and you'll agree.
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
M. Cabrera 622 109 205 40 0 44 139 66 98 4 1 .330 .393 .606 .999
M. Trout 559 129 182 27 8 30 83 67 139 49 5 .326 .399 .564 .963
*Bold denotes led league
*Bold denotes led league
In terms of fielding prowess, Trout has a very good glove, and has much more range than Cabrera. However, he's a center fielder and is supposed to have a lot of range. Center fielders have to be fast so they can chase down line drives in the gap. Also, Cabrera played third base this year, after spending most of his career as first basemen. He voluntarily switched positions to help the team so they could sign Prince Fielder. It normally takes a while for a person to get comfortable with all the nuances of a new position, but Miggy isn't normal. In his first season at the hot corner, Cabrera scored the third highest fielding percentage among all qualified AL third basemen. Meanwhile, Trout ranked 5th among AL center fielders in fielding percentage, two spots lower than Miguel. I'm not saying Cabrera is a better fielder, I'm just saying he's better compared to others at his position.
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| If Cabrera doesn't own one of these in 2 months, I'm gonna be very upset |
September Stats
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB S0 SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPSM. Cabrera 114 23 38 6 0 11 30 13 25 0 0 .333 .402 .675 1.077
M. Trout 114 23 33 5 2 5 9 21 35 7 1 .289 .400 .412 .812
M. Trout 114 23 33 5 2 5 9 21 35 7 1 .289 .400 .412 .812
Cabrera's September numbers dominate Trout's once again. The margin between their respective power numbers is alarming, as the slugging first baseman had over twice as many homeruns, and over three times as many RBI's over that crucial last month than his counterpart. Both had the exact same amount of at-bats, too, so Angel fans can't claim Cabrera had more opportunities.
Despite the overwhelming advantage Cabrera owns in every statistical, and team, category, it doesn't necessarily mean he will be hoisting the MVP Award over his head come November. As you'll see below, a Triple Crown winner has been overlooked on numerous occasions when it came time for the baseball writers to vote for who they believed was the best player in the league.
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| He's been gettin' Miggy wit it" all season long |
Ever since 1931, votes for the MLB MVP Award, as well as all other regular season awards, are cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWA). Most of the time, the writers get it right, but occasionally, their decision leaves people up in arms and scratching their head, as they attempt to figure out what drugs the voters were on that made them decide on such an undeserving individual. For an example, look no further than the Triple Crown.
Not counting Miggy, fifteen hitters in baseball history have won the batting Triple Crown since statistics started being recorded in 1876. Five of these achievements occurred before MLB started awarding the MVP Award (1931), so I don't count those because you can't be stiffed out of something that doesn't exist. However, of the ten remaining Crown winners, four of them, or 40%, did not win Most Valuable Player recognition in their respective league. 40% is a ridiculously high failure rate for someone who achieved something so great. Tragically, two of the four cases had the same victim. To get robbed once is bad enough, but to have the baseball writers, who owe their livelihood to reporting your achievements, refuse to publicly acknowledge these accomplishments, it’s got to be hard to stomach. Below, I examine these four crimes in attempt to shed some light on why these men, all Hall of Famers, two of whom among the top 5 players to ever put on a uniform, were denied the recognition and prestige that goes along with being the MVP of their league despite winning the Triple Crown.
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1933- Chuck Klein: Klein won the Triple Crown for the NL that year, leading his league in homeruns, RBI's and batting average, yet lost out to Carl Hubbell for the MVP. Hubbell was the ace for the World Champion New York Giants, and led the NL in wins, ERA, shutouts and ranked 3rd in K's. Klein, meanwhile, played for the last place Philadelphia Phillies. The fact that he played for a last place team and Hubbell anchored the pitching staff on a World Champion definitely was a factor in voter’s decision-making. Nevertheless, Klein was very dominant.
W L ERA WHIP G GS CG SHO SV IP H BB K
Carl Hubbell 23 12 1.66 0.98 45 33 22 10 5 308.2 256 47 156
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS
Chuck Klein 606 101 223 44 7 28 120 15 56 .368 .422 .602 1.025
*Bold indicated led league
It's difficult to compare the two, because they play different positions. Hubbell led the NL in two of the three pitching Triple Crown categories, wins and ERA (Ks is other one), and also had an impressive 10 shutouts. Klein led the NL in 8 batting stats, though, trumping Hubbell's three. Both had impressive years, though. This is the only one where the winner has a valid case on why he deserved it. The Cy Young Award was not around yet (1955), so we can't argue that he has his own award and shouldn't win the MVP.
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1934- Lou Gehrig: This one blows my mind. Gehrig won the Triple Crown, yet finished 5th in the MVP voting! The Award was given to Tigers player/manager, catcher Mickey Cochrane, even though his stats dwarfed Gehrig's. Lou's own teammate, Lefty Gomez, even finished ahead of him in the voting, earning 3rd place, between two more Tigers, second baseman Charlie Gehringer (2nd) and pitcher Schoolboy Rowe (4th). Why did this happen? Well, the Tigers won 101 games that year and went to the World Series and the Iron Horse and his Yankee teammates galloped to the finish line in 2nd place and did not play any October baseball. Here are the numbers.
AB R H HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS
M. Cochrane 437 74 140 2 76 8 78 .320 .428 .412 .840
Lou Gehrig 579 128 210 49 165 9 109 .363 .465 .706 1.172
*Bold indicated led league
It’s not even funny how superior Gehrig was to Cochrane, numbers wise. He had had over 50 more runs than Cochrane, twice as many RBIs and outhomered him 49-2! He crushed him in every statistical category save stolen bases, and Cochrane only beat him in that by one. Gehrig led the AL in 7 categories (Total bases not shown), Cochrane didn't lead the league in one. Obviously, statistics weren't the reason Cochrane was selected.
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| Gehrig ponders why he got screwed |
The key to Cochrane's selection was that, in 1934, the BBWA defined "Most Valuable Player" literally. Instructions, listing the stipulations that must be followed, were handed out to each voter to review before they cast their ballots. The key parts of these instructions were:
- Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense and defense.
- Number of games played.
- General character, disposition, loyalty and effort.
Why these stipulations hurt Gehrig and helped Cochrane.
1. Cochrane was deemed more valuable to his team than Gehrig because of the first stipulation. Cochrane was a catcher, the most important position on the field. Gehrig played first base, which is not nearly as crucial. Also, Gehrig wasn't even considered the most valuable player on his team. Lefty Grove won 25 games that year and finished ahead of Lou in the voting. The writers no doubt wondered how Gehrig could be by MVP of the league when someone on his own team was deemed more valuable.
2. Gehrig played more games, and had over 100 more at-bats, but Cochrane was a great defensive catcher, making only eight errors the entire season and handled the Tigers' pitching staff with great skill. He was also the Tiger's manager, meaning he played a crucial role in every game, even if he wasn't playing.
3. Baseball writers described Mickey Cochrane as "One of the most inspiring, dynamic leaders in baseball history who was the bellwether of the Tigers pennant drive". He was beloved and admired by many of the voters, so it’s no surprise they voted for him.
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1942- Ted Williams: The greatest hitter that ever lived had a rocky relationship with baseball writers, especially those in Boston, which is why he never got the accolades he would have otherwise. The Splendid Splinter was a two-time MVP (1946, 1949), but easily could, and should, have won more. He could never catch a break. If it wasn't the sportswriters refusing to give him credit, it was Joe DiMaggio, who was always stealing his thunder. In 1939, Williams finished 4th in the MVP voting to winner Joe DiMaggio. In 1941, Williams hit an astounding .406 on the season, which is the last time anyone has topped .400, but he again lost out to DiMaggio, mainly because Ted had the misfortune of hitting .400 the same year Joltin' Joe had strung out that ridiculous 56-game hitting streak (That record will never be touched). The next year, 1942, Ted had another monster season, leading the AL in numerous offensive categories, including the three Triple Crown stats. However, he was once again shunned at Awards time, this time in favor of Joe Gordon, DiMaggio's teammate. Gordon played 2nd base for those hated Yankees, who were coming off another Pennant winning season that year. Gordon inexplicably got the title of MVP, despite having far inferior numbers, and a much better supporting cast than Williams. This brain fart by the BBWA is widely regarded as the worst MVP choice in history.
AB R H HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS
Joe Gordon 538 88 173 18 103 12 79 .322 .409 .491 .900
Ted Williams 522 141 186 36 137 3 145 .356 .499 .648 1.147
*Bold indicated led league
As you see, Williams not only led the league in the Triple Crown stats, but also pretty much every other offensive category. He actually won the quadruple crown that year, as runs scored is he 4th most observed offensive category. While Williams led the AL in nine different categories (total bases not shown), Gordon didn't take one, mostly because there weren't any left. Actually, Gordon did lead the league in a category, two actually. This fact would normally help his cause for being MVP, but not when the two stats he was superior to others in were strikeouts (95) and grounding into double-plays, with 22. Normally, those would be the last things a person would want to be #1 at, but considering Gordon did it, and was rewarded with the MVP trophy, maybe others should take note.
Joe Gordon 538 88 173 18 103 12 79 .322 .409 .491 .900
Ted Williams 522 141 186 36 137 3 145 .356 .499 .648 1.147
*Bold indicated led league
As you see, Williams not only led the league in the Triple Crown stats, but also pretty much every other offensive category. He actually won the quadruple crown that year, as runs scored is he 4th most observed offensive category. While Williams led the AL in nine different categories (total bases not shown), Gordon didn't take one, mostly because there weren't any left. Actually, Gordon did lead the league in a category, two actually. This fact would normally help his cause for being MVP, but not when the two stats he was superior to others in were strikeouts (95) and grounding into double-plays, with 22. Normally, those would be the last things a person would want to be #1 at, but considering Gordon did it, and was rewarded with the MVP trophy, maybe others should take note.
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| DiMaggio was constantly stealing Williams' thunder |
1947- Ted Williams: Once again, Ted led all American League hitters in the three most important numbers. He led the league in six offensive categories, and had 16 more homeruns than his closest competitor. Nothing against the Yankee Clipper, because he is easily in the top handful of players ever, but there is no way in Hell he deserved the MVP. He had a bad year, at least in terms of his standards, and Ted had dominated the entire year. Joe only won the award, by a single vote.
To make this story more interesting, Williams was completely left off one of the voter’s ballots, meaning this particular writer did not think Ted Williams was in the top 10 Most Valuable Players in the American League that season, despite winning the Triple Crown. Obviously this writer had some grudge against Williams, as that's the only explanation. Based on the scoring system in place at the time, if that writer had even put Ted's name down as #10 on his ballot, he would have tied DiMaggio and they would have been named co-MVPs. If the guy jotted "Ted WIlliams" on the #9 slot on his ballot, meaning he verified Williams as being the 9th best player in the American League, Ted would have won. Instead, he got no credit at all. As outraging as this lack of admission is, it’s even more upsetting when you see there were only 8 teams in the American League in 1934. That means this clueless, spiteful, second-rate journalist basically looked at Williams like a utility infielder. As was the story of his career, Ted got no love, and had to settle for runner-up for the third time. Despite that "writer", part of the reason Ted didn't win is because of Boston's lack of team success many voters, to this day, figure in how the candidate's team fared when casting their vote for MVP. They'll look preferably at players with less than outstanding resumes if the team they play for made the postseason. Williams always fell short here, including this time, as his Red Sox finished in 3rd, while DiMaggio's Yankees won another Title, their 11th since 1923, 4th in the nine years Ted had been playing.
AB R H HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS
Joe DiMaggio 534 97 168 20 97 3 64 .315 .391 .522 .913
Ted Williams 528 125 181 32 114 0 162 .343 .499 .634 1.133
*Bold indicates led league
Just as in 1942, Williams cleaned house, leading the American League in the same nine categories as in his last Triple Crown year. DiMaggio led in none. At least Joltin' Joe didn't ground into more double plays, or strikeout, more than his peers, as was the case with teammate Joe Gordon in 1942.
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However, the main reason 4 of the 10 MVP era Triple Crown winners didn't get to add "Most Valuable Player of League" to their resume is because, during the Golden Years, the Baseball Writers of America had no idea how rare a feat the Triple Crown would prove to be, as players were reaching that milestone all the time when the MVP Award first came out. In the first half of the twentieth century, a player achieved this Herculean task 10 times, or about once every four and a half years, just as often as the Olympics take place. If a sports feat occurred that often, it wouldn't be that great a feat, because everyone could seemingly do it. If it was still that common nowadays, when it happened you'd watch Sportscenter to see the highlights, note the guy's name so you can draft him the next year for your fantasy team, then forget about it. That's what it must have looked like to fans back then. Since we now know how rare it is, having not been done since 1967, it’s a huge story that made International News. Miguel Cabrera is now a household name, and will certainly reap the benefits in terms of endorsements over the coming months. If only Ted and Lou could have reaped the same rewards as Miguel.
This wasn't the case back then, however. When the Iron Horse finished the 1934 season atop virtually all the offensive categories, including the aforementioned three, most people probably didn't even bat an eyelash, because the year prior, 1933,saw not one, but two Triple Crown winners, one in each league. Jimmie Foxx, of the Philadelphia A's, won the Title for the National League. Unlike his AL counterpart, however, Double-X did take home the MVP hardware as well. Breaking down further the barrage of Crown winners from 1900-1947, 8 of the 10 lay claim to the feat in the 25 years between 1922-1947. That's one time every three years, or about the length of time it takes to upgrade from an Associates to a Bachelor's Degree. Three years flies by, I remember stuff that happened 10 years ago like it was yesterday, much less three. This cluster of winners in such a small amount of time definitely affected the BBWA's decision about for whom they voted. One last thing to consider is, before the expansion era began in 1961, there were only 16 Major League teams, which are about half as many as today. Half the amount of players meant it was twice as likely any random person would lead their league in some category, because of less competition. This explains why there were so many Triple Crowns early in modern baseball, but only two since the expansion era started.
In closing, I'm not saying writers needn't even vote and just railroad Miguel in as the Top Dog in the league, I'm just saying that there isn't valid enough reason to not vote for him. If the Tigers missed the playoffs, and Trout's Angels won the AL West that would have given him a much better case for being the MVP. As it is, Tigers are in and Angels are watching from home. Also, if there was a pitcher who was just lights out all year, like a Clemens in 1986, Guidry in 1978, Pedro during his peak in late 90's or pick a year with Koufax, among others,, they would have a great case for stealing Cabrera's thunder, but, as it is, there were none, so give Miggy his recognition.
Now, Mike Trout definitely had a great year, and I'm not taking that away from him. He would have been the MVP had he had this season another year. He had the best rookie season of any batter I remember, and is already a monster. The fact that he's only going to get better should scare the shit out of AL pitchers. He'll win his share of MVP awards in what will most likely be a Hall of Fame career, but his time isn't yet. It's Cabrera's time to take center stage, and soak in all the love that comes with doing something no baseball player has done since the early days of Free Love. No one in the big leagues was even alive in 1967, that's how impressive his achievement is! There have been 12 winners of the Triple Crown in the modern era of baseball, and all are HOFers. This isn't something some schmuck with a career year could do. So, Trout supporters, seriously, give me a fucking break! If Cabrera doesn’t win the MVP Award unanimously, the people who don’t vote for him should not be banned from future ballots. I hope those douche writers don’t vote for Trout just cuz has a rookie, and they what a vote for him so they can boast that they were part of a baseball first. Some people get off on being part of history they have nothing to do with. That’s why Ichiro won MVP his first year in the majors. There were many more deserving players, but he was Japanese and no Asian born player had ever won the award. Why vote for Jason Giambi for a 2nd time when you can stir the pot and get front page news by voting for a foreign born player who was, at the time, the most popular player in the game? MVP isn’t a popularity contest. If they want to give Trout an award cuz he's more popular and has more sex appeal, vote him Prom King. Give Miguel his due. It will be a monumental tragedy and the award will lose all credibility if anyone else wins!
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