The MVP Award

The official BBWAA MVP Award has been handed out in both leagues since 1931. There were some other league awards given out at various times before then, but flaws in the voting system give those ones mostly uninteresting results. Several players have won three MVP Awards; as of 1999, no one has won more.
        As far as I know, there is no concrete definition of what an MVP is. Some people think it should go to a player on a championship team, because winning is the ultimate goal in professional baseball. Others think that the best player in the league is not always the most valuable; in 1995, for example, Mo Vaughn was clearly not the best player in the league, but won the MVP because he was perceived as the best player on an overachieving team. My preference is to give the Award to the best player in the league. If two players have almost equal value, I may reward the one who plays for the better team.
        The most significant change in my selections is that I am not considering pitchers as eligible for the award. Pitchers have won a fair number of MVP Awards, even after their own trophy, the Cy Young Award, was created. I don't know why this is, because it creates silly situations. In 1986, pitcher Roger Clemens won both the Cy Young and the MVP award. Slugger Don Mattingly amassed almost 400 total bases, but didn't win anything. And just to drive the point home, I've decided to rename my awards, which are now the Stargell and Mathewson Awards, in honour of Willie and Henry, er, Christy.
        I think it is absurd that one group of players are eligible for both awards, but the other group for only one. And I think it is natural that players and pitchers should each have their own award, because it is so difficult to compare them in value. In 1992, pitcher Dennis Eckersley won the MVP. For that year, I have chosen Roberto Alomar as the winner. Who was more valuable? How do you compare Alomar to Eckersley? So I will consider players only; perhaps, to eliminate confusion, we should rename the MVP Award as the Honus Wagner Award or the Hank Aaron Award or something like that.
        Looking at my personal choices, I have noticed that I have removed a great deal of variety from the list of winners. I have taken away awards from such players as Bob Elliott, Hank Sauer, Jackie Jensen, Boog Powell, Jeff Burroughs, and Don Baylor, all one-time winners. On the other hand, Mickey Mantle goes from three MVP Awards to eight; Willie Mays goes from two to six. Though perhaps it can be monotonous for a player to win the MVP Award every year, I think it is more representative of baseball history.
        Willie Mays and Hank Aaron combined to play for 45 years, but between them won only three MVP awards. Do any of us believe that on only three occasions were Willie Mays or Hank Aaron the best player in the National League? Of course not. These are the NL's two best players since 1950. In my list of personal choices, I have increased their total from three to nine. Players who lose awards include Maury Wills, Dick Groat, and Ken Boyer. All terrific players, but not in the Mays/Aaron class.

 

The Cy Young Award

 
        The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956. Commissioner Ford Frick thought that pitchers were not getting enough recognition in the MVP vote, so he gave them their own award. But pitchers have also since remained eligible for the MVP Award as well.
        Hey, no one is suggesting that pitchers are not valuable. I suspect that in 1999, Pedro Martinez was more valuable to his team than any other pitcher or player in baseball, and he deserved to win the Cy Young- which is essentially an "MVP" for pitchers. At least, that's my opinion; quite often, pitchers will do better in the MVP vote than they will in the Cy Young balloting, so perhaps there are some writers who use different criteria for each Award.
        Like the MVP Award, I try to choose the best pitcher in the league. If two pitchers have essentially equal value, then I usually use either their won-loss record or the performance of their team as a tiebreaker.
        I am not fanatical about these awards, or any of my choices. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; and beside, this site isn't about awards. As you read each article, you will find that I usually spend more time talking about the players and their teams then about who deserves the award. It's just fun, that's all.