A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

[bigj1601]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

they have a seperate award for the best player. peter gammons said it best. arod hit no important homeruns and got his team to last place. that is is fault because he gets paid all that money. The word is valueable. Without arod the rangers get last. no change. without tejada the a's dont make the playoffs because they wouldn't have had an offense. that makes him more valueable.

[Will]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

Ok, so now we're penalizing a guy for not doing something in a situation his team never put him in. And now we're penalizing a guy for playing in a park that some freaking architecht somewhere dreamed up.

You can dream up all the rationalizations you want, but the numbers are there, and that's all that can be compared, because that's all anyone has in common.

I can guarantee that the A's would have won the ALDS had ARod been on the A's, and most likely would have gone to the Series. But wait, situations that didn't happen can't help a guy, they can only hurt him.

[avh00a]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

All that i have to say is that this is total bs. If a player could ever earn $250 million then he is. He is the best player in the league by far and deserves to be the highest paid and the mvp. This is oviously first place voting which i think is bogus because ARod is definately the best player in the league.

[bigj1601]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

listen the award isnt called the best player in the league. the best player is about numbers while the mvp is the most valueable to a team. the rangers were in last so he is not very valueable to that team. if you traded him and tejada the rangers would still get last but the a's would do better. he that is true but we cant call him mvp for how valueable he would be if he was on a better team.

[NYJets]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

The better you do, the more valuable to your team you are. Who knows how many games Texas would have lost if they didn't have Arod? Its most valuable player, that doesn't mean most valuable to their team, it means what player would be most valuable to A team, or you could just say the best player. Its not Arod's fault the Rangers suck.

[FatPitcher]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

Just give it to the guy that had the best year and forget the rest. What's the point of having awards for *individuals* if ~70% of the players are eliminated from consideration because of how their *team* did?

Why don't we have a "Player Most Responsible for Getting His Team To the Playoffs Who Usually Isn't a Pitcher But Can Be Sometimes Award" so that the best players can get the real awards, as it should be.

[LetsGoPitt]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Its not Arod's fault the Rangers suck.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
No, but they still suck with him. That doesn't make him very valuable, does it?

[FatPitcher]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

Oakland did about the same without Jason Giambi. Does that mean he shouldn't have got the MVP when he was with Oakland? Does it also mean that they would do about the same without Tejada? According to your reasoning, a pitcher who goes 0-20 with a 0.50 ERA and 400 Ks isn't valuable. I'd say it's his team that's worthless.

They have team awards. They call them World Series rings. MVP should be about how good a player is, not how good his teammates are.

[LiquidCrash]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

I agree that ARod should have won it. He had the better year, and if Texas had any pitching would have won it. I can't blame Arod for his team not performing well. He did his part. Who knows how many games the Rangers would have lost without him?

[Heelfan71]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

I think you should look at what the team would be like without that player. Without A rod, where would Texas be? Still in last place. The award is not for the best player, but the most valuable to their team.

[brendanrfoley]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

I agree with BaseballGuru on this one, all the way.

The MVP has, before this year, many times gone to a player who didn't put up the best numbers in the league. To me, the MVP is who is the MOST VALUABLE to a team that allow them to accomplish things they woudlnt without him.

Did Tejada push the A's over the top? Yes.

Did ARod, despite his greatness, push the Rangers over the top? No.

The award is desgined for somebody who has a great impact on their team. Considered the Rangers couln't muster more runs than the punchless Mets, or the starless Marlins, or the dreadful Pirates, I would say he shoudln't get the award.

Tejada had more gamee winning hits than A-Rod while butting up numbers that were comparable except home runs. He put his team over the top. He deserves this one, A-Rod will surely have his chance to get more.

[grtwhtsk]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

I agree totally with Heelfan71. Tejada got the award because of what he did for his team when it counted. When Oakland was making their run for the division title, it seemed like Tejada was getting the big hit every game to lead them to victory.

No doubt that Arod had the better year statistically. So if there was a Player of the Year Award, then it should be his. He is a great player, no doubt. No one can take those numbers he's been putting up away from him, but I would like to see what he would have done on a team like the A's. Would he have done well? I'm sure he would. Would he hit 57 HRs playing in Oakland, I doubt it. He hit 34 of his HRs this year in that "box" in Texas. Would he have gotten those clutch hits in the late innings to bring the A's back and/or put them ahead? Maybe. My point is what Tejada did for the A's this past season makes him worthy of the award.

There are plenty of guys who put up big numbers, but don't do it when it counts. Then there are the guys who put up decent numbers, but thrive when it counts. How many teams wouldn't want Derek Jeter on their team come playoff time? He gets the hits, makes the plays on defense, and is always the first guy out of the dugout to congratulate a teammate. When you look at his numbers and Arod's, there is a huge gap. I used to buy into the "I'll take Arod over any SS." Now as we see teams like the Angels coming up as a team and putting it all together, we see how important each piece is. This is why the GMs with the small payrolls have the chance to put out a good team. It's about chemistry. Look at the Twins this past season.

Anyway, we don't get a vote, so we can just talk about this forever. It won't change anything.

[jake]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

You hit on an interesting poit grt. I saw a stat last night that was kind of telling. On the road Arod had a few more HRs but Tejada had a higher batting average. It does have to do with that stadium and no one would call the coliseum a hitters park. Even though theyve had some sluggers its been in spite of the park.

NYJets the Rangers do suck because of ARod. Because of his enormous salary they might be losing Irod and also are handicapped in being able to sign pitchers they so desperately need. Think of how many decent players 25 mil can get? Like I said ARod should have anticipated losing because of that big salary.

[Freelance]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

If Tejada was in Texas, and A-Rod was in Oakland, that wouldn't have made one bit of difference in the division. The A's still would have made the playoffs, and the Rangers would have still finished last.

If how the team does is so important, then why don't they wait until the World Series is over to choose a winner. They say team performance matters, yet they vote before the playoffs begin?

By the "team performance" theory, Garrett Anderson should have won it. Did he not do more for the Angels, who had a far inferior pitching staff to Oakland but still won the World Series?

This is ridiculous. Tejada could not carry A-Rod's jockstrap this year.

[grtwhtsk]

Re: A-Rod is unquestionably the MVP

Erod - They have separate awards for the post season.

BTW, I don't think anyone is shooting down Arod here. No matter what team you root for, I don't think many (if any) would pass on the chance to have Arod in their lineup. This whole thread is in response to A-Rod being "...unquestionable the MVP." If that was the case, the voting would have been a lot closer. I doubt there was any conspiracy, and I doubt the A's "bought" the award for Tejada. He got it because the people who voted believe he deserved it. We are lucky to have sports, and with that comes plenty of room for discussion.