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NFT: Yankees chat 11/16: Favorites for Otani? Judge MVP?

bceagle05 : 11/16/2017 1:35 pm
Heyman's column today indicates the Yankees are the favorites for Otani, assuming the posting logistics get worked out. All parties have set a Monday deadline for that, as the Otani stalemate is believed to be holding up other free agent activity....

Quote:
The other, even bigger, advantage, the Yankees are thought to have is that, well, they are the Yankees, a major, worldwide brand, which brings extra exposure and more earning potential (though Otani hasn’t shown any real interest in money to this point; if he did he’d just wait the two years).

Japanese players are seen as preferring either the Yankees or Dodgers due to the prestige of the league’s respective marquee franchises, and it is no surprise that those two teams have had the most success with Japanese players (the Yankees have had Hideki Matsui and Masahiro Tanaka, and the Dodgers Hideo Nomo and Kenta Maeda), which provides some positive history. And in this case, where the player very likely will be signing for something well below his market value, there is an expectation that marketing opportunities will come into play.

“The Yankees are the favorite, there’s no other way to look at it,” one National League executive said.

Heyman - ( New Window )
Also, Michael Kay said yesterday  
bceagle05 : 11/16/2017 1:37 pm : link
a source told him Judge won the MVP award, so we shall see later today. Kay didn't give any 100 percent guarantees, but the same source told him the specifics of the Gray trade before it was official.
RE: Also, Michael Kay said yesterday  
Tesla : 11/16/2017 1:48 pm : link
In comment 13694070 bceagle05 said:
Quote:
a source told him Judge won the MVP award, so we shall see later today. Kay didn't give any 100 percent guarantees, but the same source told him the specifics of the Gray trade before it was official.


I won't believe it until Slade confirms.
IF  
old man : 11/16/2017 1:50 pm : link
and a big IF, he wants to/will be seen as a pitcher (I think he's the guy that can play multiple positions right?) I would think a guy that wants to show hitting ability would opt for the NL.
2+ ABs when he pitches, PH in those 14+ extra inning games, DH in interleague games.
Alltuve and Judge are both great MVP candidates.  
Keith : 11/16/2017 1:52 pm : link
Either one of them wins, you really cannot argue. Both guys had amazing seasons and led their teams to the playoffs, but they did it in different ways. To me, what Judge did was just so rare that I'd give him the edge. He was a little streakier, whereas Alltuve was more consistent, but MVP is about the final result.
Anyone else hate that writers vote for MVP?  
Keith : 11/16/2017 1:55 pm : link
Writers consistently prove their bias and stupidity. Each team should get 1 vote, probably the manager on each team. They are the ones who really see the value of the players, IMO.
Young team loaded with talent  
averagejoe : 11/16/2017 2:04 pm : link
that is the most famous brand in sports and plays in the world capital is the favorite ?

I would be shocked if he does not sign with Yanks. Promise him 30 starts and 400 AB's at DH if he can hit.

No guarantee's that he will not struggle but the potential is unlimited.

Altuve is a better hitter  
Matt M. : 11/16/2017 2:09 pm : link
and much more consistent, but the only categories he has an advantage in are Ks and BA. Judge scored more runs, hit more HR, knocked in more runs, had a higher OBA, OPS, OPS+. Plus, Altuve was in a better lineup. Remove Judge from this year's Yankees team and they don't sniff the playoffs.
Stanton's people are pushing him  
bceagle05 : 11/16/2017 2:57 pm : link
to be a little more open to the idea of Boston. Hold the line, Giancarlo!
Judge deserves the MVP  
RasputinPrime : 11/16/2017 3:20 pm : link
without him this team doesn't sniff what it did. Altuve would need to share the award with Correa and Springer.
You would think at some point  
arniefez : 11/16/2017 3:56 pm : link
some baseball players would figure out that playing in Boston is a living hell. I sort of understand the fools like Crawford & Price who went there because the crazy money wasn't being offered anywhere else. But Stanton already has his money. Let's see how much of a fool he is.
Judge is unique, exhibit 457  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 4:44 pm : link
Fangraphs today:

Quote:
What it means is that Judge isn’t exactly playing by the usual rules. To show you what I’m getting at, I’ve prepared a plot. I looked at every individual batter-season from 2015 to 2017 with a minimum of 100 batted balls. For every player, I found the wOBA on contact, and I also used Baseball Savant to find the expected wOBA on contact. So this is wOBA without walks, hit-by-pitches, and strikeouts. Judge is highlighted in yellow. You’ll see him.




Quote:
Judge just had the highest wOBA on contact in at least three years. He also had the highest expected wOBA on contact in at least three years, and he’s in the lead by 53 points. The name below him, unsurprisingly, is Giancarlo Stanton, but Judge’s data point is extraordinary. By wOBA on contact, Judge just finished a full four standard deviations higher than average. By expected wOBA on contact, meanwhile, he was 4.7 standard deviations higher than average. Stanton, in 2015, was at +3.7 standard deviations. Judge was one standard deviation higher than the next-closest point.


Amazing stuff. Lots more at the link.

Link - ( New Window )
RE: Altuve is a better hitter  
adamg : 11/16/2017 4:44 pm : link
In comment 13694097 Matt M. said:
Quote:
and much more consistent, but the only categories he has an advantage in are Ks and BA. Judge scored more runs, hit more HR, knocked in more runs, had a higher OBA, OPS, OPS+. Plus, Altuve was in a better lineup. Remove Judge from this year's Yankees team and they don't sniff the playoffs.


Altuve plays in the middle infield though. That's a big difference imo.

I still think Judge deserves it, but I think position could be a big factor.
He doesn't want  
PaulN : 11/16/2017 4:47 pm : link
Thirty starts, he wants to stick with the once a week pitching regiment. he also wants to hit, he does not really have a position he played, sure he can play the outfield, but he is not really an outfielder, so the teams in the American league have a huge advantage with the DH. There is really no telling where he would want to play, but it will most likely be with an American league team. Let's hope New York is looked at as a positive and he decides to play here, but there are no indications, he is a true unique case because had he waited two years he could have named his price. That alone makes him a true wildcard.
Either player  
PaulN : 11/16/2017 4:51 pm : link
Is a great choice for MVP, but I would vote for Judge. The Home Run, RBI, Runs scored, and OPS advantage would be enough for me. Altuve's batting average is nullified since the On Base percentage is so close, Judge wins in three out of four WAR calculations. I take the power hitter with the high on base percentage every time.
On an AL team  
Mike from SI : 11/16/2017 5:02 pm : link
does Otani hit on the days he pitches? Is he considered a DH or the pitcher hitting?
I could be wrong  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 5:05 pm : link
But I'm pretty sure that, if Otani hits in a game he starts, then the rest of the pitchers would have to as well. You either have a DH from the beginning of the game or you don't get one at all.
Mike  
mitch300 : 11/16/2017 5:09 pm : link
Great question!, Don't know the answer.
RE: I could be wrong  
Mike from SI : 11/16/2017 5:10 pm : link
In comment 13694276 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
But I'm pretty sure that, if Otani hits in a game he starts, then the rest of the pitchers would have to as well. You either have a DH from the beginning of the game or you don't get one at all.


Hm, can they designate him as the DH even though he's also hitting? Perhaps he just doesn't hit on days he pitches.
I  
mitch300 : 11/16/2017 5:16 pm : link
Think he doesn't hit on his pitching day. Still an interesting rule question. MLB never had a player post DH. That would do both.
He would be the DH on the day he ptiches  
arniefez : 11/16/2017 5:31 pm : link
which is a problem if he's taken out of the game. The next pitcher would have to hit or be pinch hit for the next time they came up in the order. The team would "lose" the DH if he's pitching and taken out.
He will probably not hit the day before or the day of his starts  
JerryNYG : 11/16/2017 5:44 pm : link
DH the rest of the time.

Yankees can accommodate something like that because they can offset the extra DH at bats he doesn't take by using them for the crowded outfield and to rest Sanchez.
RE: Anyone else hate that writers vote for MVP?  
TheMick7 : 11/16/2017 5:48 pm : link
In comment 13694085 Keith said:
Quote:
Writers consistently prove their bias and stupidity. Each team should get 1 vote, probably the manager on each team. They are the ones who really see the value of the players, IMO.


And the Cy Young 3 writers didn't have Severino anywhere on their ballot! SMH
RE: He would be the DH on the day he ptiches  
mitch300 : 11/16/2017 6:02 pm : link
In comment 13694295 arniefez said:
Quote:
which is a problem if he's taken out of the game. The next pitcher would have to hit or be pinch hit for the next time they came up in the order. The team would "lose" the DH if he's pitching and taken out.

I'm not so sure. Remember in the AL there are 10 position on a lineup card. Couldn't the manager list him in the DH position and the pitcher position?
6 pm. Isn’t the mvp vote getting announced?  
The_Boss : 11/16/2017 6:04 pm : link
-
Stanton wins it for the NL.  
Ace718 : 11/16/2017 6:24 pm : link
AL announcement at 6:45
RE: Stanton wins it for the NL.  
mfsd : 11/16/2017 6:29 pm : link
In comment 13694349 Ace718 said:
Quote:
AL announcement at 6:45


Wow close vote for NL. Stanton won by 2 pts over Votto.
Stanton and Votto  
PaulBlakeTSU : 11/16/2017 6:30 pm : link
were toss-ups. I can't argue against Stanton, but I'd like to see Votto get some more hardware because the guy has been an absolute monster for his career and hasn't gotten nearly the recognition he deserves.

Judge and Altuve are also a toss-up. Altuve will likely win by a decent margin and there's a good argument that he was much better in high-leverage situations than was Judge.

Personally, I view MVP as the most productive/best season, but there are some that like narratives of helping teams get to the postseason. In that regard, Judge has a stronger case because if it weren't for his blazing hot first half of the season, the Yankees might be sellers. They were projected to win 81 games, they were missing Sanchez and Bird, and it was Judge who emerged with Ruthian offense and ignited the team.

But if Altuve wins, it will be very much deserved.
Judge has a season we haven't seen in the AL since Mickey Mantle  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/16/2017 6:51 pm : link
and only gets 2 first place votes. Okay.
Altuve wins MVP  
mfsd : 11/16/2017 6:51 pm : link
27 first place votes, Judge 2nd with 2 first place votes and 27 second place votes

Can’t argue, Altuve was a beast this season
What fuck head voted Judge third?  
B in ALB : 11/16/2017 6:52 pm : link
These asshole writers should publish their votes.
Wow. This shit is rigged.  
Ace718 : 11/16/2017 6:52 pm : link
I'm not surprised that Altuve won. But Altuve winning in a landslide? That's shocking. How could the NL race be so much closer? The baseball writers just don't like NY.
RE: Judge has a season we haven't seen in the AL since Mickey Mantle  
BigBlueShock : 11/16/2017 6:53 pm : link
In comment 13694368 shockeyisthebest8056 said:
Quote:
and only gets 2 first place votes. Okay.

Lol, what a joke. I have no issue with Altuve winning but 2 first place votes? That’s exactly one more than Ramirez got.

Either way, congrats to Altuve
FUCK  
adamg : 11/16/2017 6:53 pm : link
I hope he puts up another 50 next year and walks away with it then.

That sucks though.
RE: What fuck head voted Judge third?  
BigBlueShock : 11/16/2017 6:53 pm : link
In comment 13694372 B in ALB said:
Quote:
These asshole writers should publish their votes.

They do now. This is the first season it is public
RE: What fuck head voted Judge third?  
mfsd : 11/16/2017 6:54 pm : link
In comment 13694372 B in ALB said:
Quote:
These asshole writers should publish their votes.


I think they do get published now. I’m watching the MLB network, they showed the writers who voted Votto 5th which cost him MVP. Haven’t seen AL votes yet

I have no problem with Altuve winning, he's great.  
Dave in Hoboken : 11/16/2017 6:54 pm : link
But the fact that it wasn't close is the head-scratcher.

Oh well. I look forward to Judge thrashing MLB for the next 10-15 years. A rookie with the season he had is insane. And he's all ours. :)
Altuve winning is not a shock.  
Ace718 : 11/16/2017 6:55 pm : link
But Judge being left in the dust? Stanton-Votto was just 2 points off. The AL was 200 points in difference? This is anti NY bias.
Same feeling as the rest of you  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 6:56 pm : link
Altuve is a deserving winner, but almost unanimously? Get the hell out.
I'm okay with the results...  
Dan in the Springs : 11/16/2017 6:56 pm : link
Judge had a horrific month and a half. As good as he was earlier (and later), he was almost as bad during his slide.

If he'd been within earshot of league-average during that time he would have probably won easily.
Congrats to the little guy  
dune69 : 11/16/2017 6:59 pm : link
but congrats to the big guy too!! What a season for both.
Here's your culprit on that 3rd place vote  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 7:03 pm : link
Rustin Dodd Kansas City Star KC - Ramirez Altuve Judge Trout Lindor Kluber Hosmer Sale Simmons Betts
I'm surprised he had Judge over Hosmer  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/16/2017 7:04 pm : link
...
Biggest joke  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 7:08 pm : link
Mookie Betts finished 6th. No, seriously, he did.
So much for Michael Kay's sources.  
bceagle05 : 11/16/2017 7:10 pm : link
.
Kris Bryant got a first place vote  
BigBlueShock : 11/16/2017 7:13 pm : link
Seriously.
RE: I'm okay with the results...  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 7:15 pm : link
In comment 13694386 Dan in the Springs said:
Quote:
Judge had a horrific month and a half. As good as he was earlier (and later), he was almost as bad during his slide.

If he'd been within earshot of league-average during that time he would have probably won easily.


And yet, despite that slump, Judge STILL posted better numbers than Altuve, so what's that tell you?
These guys must not watch during the season?  
adamg : 11/16/2017 7:15 pm : link
How do you give votes purely on rep?
Here’s the AL vote breakdown  
mfsd : 11/16/2017 7:18 pm : link
Judges 1st place votes came from a K.C. and Toronto voter. Both NY voters had him 2nd

And how the fuck is that dumbass George King from the Post one of the voters?
Link - ( New Window )
Who was the asshole who put Jeter 5th or 6th in 2006?  
Greg from LI : 11/16/2017 7:21 pm : link
.
BA/Hits >>> Every other stat  
Nick in LA : 11/16/2017 7:21 pm : link
riiiiiiiiggggghhhhhtttttttt.
Maybe if Judge hits 85 HRs next season,  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/16/2017 7:27 pm : link
he can get up to 10 first place votes.
The BBWA  
Phil in LA : 11/16/2017 7:35 pm : link
should be stripped of its voting privileges. They don't know a thing about what they are assigned to cover.
I don't follow much baseball  
Big Rick in FL : 11/16/2017 7:42 pm : link
Don't ever post on baseball threads so take this with a grain of salt. My barbershop is about 3 minutes from the Yankees training facility on Himes. A lot of Yankees get their haircut there during Spring Training. I met Aaron Judge, Pineda, Betances, Severino & Torreyes there this past spring training. When I was in there today there was a guy in their who works for the Yankees. I don't know who he is, but he was probably in his mid 40s. A few of the barbers were talking with him about Otani. He said if Otani does decide to come to the MLB that the Yankees feel they have a 75-80% chance of Otani signing with them. He said there are only 3 teams really in the running for him. He said it's basically the Yankees, Dodgers & Rangers. He said the Rangers are the biggest longshot so it's basically down to the Yankees & Dodgers. He said he's very confident in the Yankees getting him because they can offer a little over 3 million and the Dodgers can only offer around 300k. He said the Yankees have Matsui & Tanaka in constant contact with Otani to recruit him for the Yankees. Like I said I don't really follow baseball, but I started reading about Otani after I left the barbershop and the dude sounds like an absolute stud. Seems like a guy who could win an MVP award at a young age.

I know this doesn't really mean much. So take it with a grain of salt, but I figured I'd pass it along to my fellow Giants fans.
Maybe Judge lost for this 2 month stretch  
twostepgiants : 11/16/2017 7:45 pm : link
"judge, who’s hitting .183/.350/.355 with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate since the All-Star break, has only eight homers in that span,"
It's for the season  
Phil in LA : 11/16/2017 7:58 pm : link
not two months, and even with those two months where he was playing through a shoulder and a knee, he had a better season than Altuve. He got on more, scored more and prevented more. That's the whole game. He was better, and these fucking putz reporters don't understand baseball.
Thanks for the info, Big Rick!  
bceagle05 : 11/16/2017 8:13 pm : link
.
Good stuff Rick  
B in ALB : 11/16/2017 8:14 pm : link
.
Altuve is outstanding and deserved the award  
RasputinPrime : 11/16/2017 8:18 pm : link
just not necessarily as much as Judge.

Awards are goofy anyways.
RE: Wow. This shit is rigged.  
Gatorade Dunk : 11/16/2017 8:22 pm : link
In comment 13694373 Ace718 said:
Quote:
I'm not surprised that Altuve won. But Altuve winning in a landslide? That's shocking. How could the NL race be so much closer? The baseball writers just don't like NY.

It's two separate sets of voters.
No prob guys  
Big Rick in FL : 11/16/2017 9:18 pm : link
For my Dad's sake I really hope the Yankees get Otani and he meets the hype he is getting. My Dad is getting old. My Sister died a few months ago. My Grandpa (My Dad's Father) died a few weeks after that right before the Giants season started. Now the Giants fucking suck. Plus the Yankees lost in the ALCS. So we've had a really rough year. Hoping the Yankees signing Otani will help cheer my Dad up a little bit. After my Sister and Grandpa died my Dad got back into drinking heavy and it's been terrible.
Big Rick  
bigbluehoya : 11/16/2017 9:22 pm : link
All the best to your Dad, man.
BigblueHoya  
Big Rick in FL : 11/16/2017 9:25 pm : link
Thanks man! He needs it. Losing his Daughter & Dad in a two month span really fucked him up. Need some positive sports moments.
why are people so concerned  
PaulBlakeTSU : 11/16/2017 9:29 pm : link
with the difference in first place votes between Altuve and Judge? They were both great players, but Altuve had a more consistent season and put up significantly better numbers in high leverage situations. His win is completely defensible.

The 27-2 first place votes doesn't mean that writers thought Altuve was THAT much better than Judge this season-- only that the overwhelming majority of voters thought Altuve was at least a hair better than Judge and cast their vote for him. It's an NBA best-of-seven series where one team wins 100-99 in all 4 games and ends up winning the series 4-0, or a tennis match where one player wins all three sets in a tiebreak and ends up winning 3-0. It doesn't mean the match-up was a blowout or that there was a wide disparity between the competitors, just that one side was a hair better in each result.

All upset are we?  
twostepgiants : 11/16/2017 9:35 pm : link
RE: why are people so concerned  
Dan in the Springs : 11/16/2017 9:41 pm : link
In comment 13694476 PaulBlakeTSU said:
Quote:
with the difference in first place votes between Altuve and Judge? They were both great players, but Altuve had a more consistent season and put up significantly better numbers in high leverage situations. His win is completely defensible.

The 27-2 first place votes doesn't mean that writers thought Altuve was THAT much better than Judge this season-- only that the overwhelming majority of voters thought Altuve was at least a hair better than Judge and cast their vote for him. It's an NBA best-of-seven series where one team wins 100-99 in all 4 games and ends up winning the series 4-0, or a tennis match where one player wins all three sets in a tiebreak and ends up winning 3-0. It doesn't mean the match-up was a blowout or that there was a wide disparity between the competitors, just that one side was a hair better in each result.


That's how I see it too - well done with the explanation of the viewpoint.
kind of funny that the smallest guy in the league and the biggest  
Del Shofner : 11/16/2017 11:14 pm : link
finished 1-2 in MVP. That's almost certainly never happened before.
RE: I don't follow much baseball  
mfsd : 11/16/2017 11:53 pm : link
In comment 13694423 Big Rick in FL said:
Quote:
Don't ever post on baseball threads so take this with a grain of salt. My barbershop is about 3 minutes from the Yankees training facility on Himes. A lot of Yankees get their haircut there during Spring Training. I met Aaron Judge, Pineda, Betances, Severino & Torreyes there this past spring training. When I was in there today there was a guy in their who works for the Yankees. I don't know who he is, but he was probably in his mid 40s. A few of the barbers were talking with him about Otani. He said if Otani does decide to come to the MLB that the Yankees feel they have a 75-80% chance of Otani signing with them. He said there are only 3 teams really in the running for him. He said it's basically the Yankees, Dodgers & Rangers. He said the Rangers are the biggest longshot so it's basically down to the Yankees & Dodgers. He said he's very confident in the Yankees getting him because they can offer a little over 3 million and the Dodgers can only offer around 300k. He said the Yankees have Matsui & Tanaka in constant contact with Otani to recruit him for the Yankees. Like I said I don't really follow baseball, but I started reading about Otani after I left the barbershop and the dude sounds like an absolute stud. Seems like a guy who could win an MVP award at a young age.

I know this doesn't really mean much. So take it with a grain of salt, but I figured I'd pass it along to my fellow Giants fans.


Good stuff, thanks for sharing!
RE: why are people so concerned  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/17/2017 2:02 am : link
In comment 13694476 PaulBlakeTSU said:
Quote:
with the difference in first place votes between Altuve and Judge? They were both great players, but Altuve had a more consistent season and put up significantly better numbers in high leverage situations. His win is completely defensible.

The 27-2 first place votes doesn't mean that writers thought Altuve was THAT much better than Judge this season-- only that the overwhelming majority of voters thought Altuve was at least a hair better than Judge and cast their vote for him. It's an NBA best-of-seven series where one team wins 100-99 in all 4 games and ends up winning the series 4-0, or a tennis match where one player wins all three sets in a tiebreak and ends up winning 3-0. It doesn't mean the match-up was a blowout or that there was a wide disparity between the competitors, just that one side was a hair better in each result.


Judge had a season that was only matched by a handful of players safely within the 20 greatest to ever play the sport and led a team not remotely expected to make the postseason to the playoffs, but he got 2 measly first place votes because of "consistency". Had Judge been more "consistent", he would've put up Barry Bonds' 2001 steroids numbers. There are 3 websites measuring WAR (fangraphs, b-r.com, & espn) and 2 of them have Judge as the best player in the AL by a significant margin. But "consistency". It seems to me that people were searching for reasons not to give Judge the award as opposed to recognizing what he accomplished. That's how we end up hearing more about 6 weeks instead of those other 4 months.
Throw in BP.com and that's 3 out of 4 with Judge  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/17/2017 2:11 am : link
as the AL's best player in 2017. By their measurement, Mike Trout was the 2nd best player in the AL this season, ahead of Altuve.
As I said earlier, Altuve is a better and more consistent hitter  
Matt M. : 11/17/2017 5:48 am : link
But,he didn't have a better season, by any stretch.And, I fail to see how he was more valuable. He stole about 20 more bases, yet scored significantly less runs in a better lineup. He hit 40 points higher yet got on base significantly less. He drove in less runs. Judge had a much higher OPS and a higher OPS+. Plus, Judge's defense is not to be overlooked. He played RF at a near gold glove level. So, for him to receive 2 first place votes, I think, is a travesty.

This falls into one of those categories, I'd bet, where the writers justify it by saying he won the roomie of the year, so he'll have more shots at an MVP. I call bullshit. He had the best season and was more valuable to his team.
No problem with the voting.  
section125 : 11/17/2017 7:12 am : link
It actually validates most of the things said here about the 2 month slump hurting Judge's chances when Altuve was consistent the entire year. It actually makes sense for the spread to be that big as the writers clearly thought the same way.
RE: Throw in BP.com and that's 3 out of 4 with Judge  
PaulBlakeTSU : 11/17/2017 1:20 pm : link
In comment 13694570 shockeyisthebest8056 said:
Quote:
as the AL's best player in 2017. By their measurement, Mike Trout was the 2nd best player in the AL this season, ahead of Altuve.


ESPN's WAR is just Baseball-Reference's. 2 of the 3 major WAR calcualators ranked Judge above Altuve.
and what's with this notion  
PaulBlakeTSU : 11/17/2017 1:27 pm : link
that people were looking for reasons to not give Judge the award? He might have been the best individual story all season and he was certainly the most buzzworthy player in the sport.

For a sport that struggled with individual star power vis a vis the other major sports, no one broke through that more this season than Judge.

I see no evidence that there was any vendetta against Judge.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with thinking that Altuve was a more valuable player. Many people value consistency over the course of a long season as opposed to streaks of fire and ice. Plus, Altuve had better numbers in high-leverage situations which writers may value more than production in low-leverage situations.

If the roles were reversed, and we were die-hard Astros fans, do you really think that you would be calling the vote a mockery thinking that Altuve didn't deserve it?
Paul  
Greg from LI : 11/17/2017 1:49 pm : link
If that was their reasoning, then it's a silly one. You're taking two smaller sample sizes and giving them more weight than total production over the course of the entire season.

I won't go so far as to say Judge was robbed because it was a close competition, and Altuve is a great player who had a tremendous year as well. Judge was still more productive.

I also think it's unfortunately because this might well turn out to have been Judge's best shot at MVP, unless Mike Trout starts getting injured every year.
RE: and what's with this notion  
shockeyisthebest8056 : 11/17/2017 2:46 pm : link
In comment 13695011 PaulBlakeTSU said:
Quote:
that people were looking for reasons to not give Judge the award?


I didn't mean there was a conspiracy. I meant they've chosen a reason to ignore the fact that by most measures Aaron Judge was the AL's best player this season. That doesn't necessarily mean he was the most valuable or should've won the award, but it bears more or at least as much mention as "consistency". If they want to hand out something else called "The Most Consistent Player Award", so be it.

When Aaron Judge gets 2 first place votes after the season he just had, that means a near unanimous amount of the voters chose to ignore who the best player in the league was. When that's happened in the past, it was almost always tied up with team wins (or at least that was the excuse). That's not the case here. I might be wrong and my memory might be fuzzy, but I've never heard "consistency" as a reason to give someone the MVP Award over another player who had the superior season.
Greg  
PaulBlakeTSU : 11/17/2017 2:52 pm : link
I don't think it's silly to consider metrics like win probability added, though. When it comes down to brass tacks, win probability added measures who most changes his team's win expectancy before and after he comes to the plate.

Since it's a cumulative metric, it blows my mind that Trout led all of baseball in so few games. But he was the best offensive player and played for a team that couldn't do anything without him, so every contribution he made had a gigantic impact on his team's ability to win a game.

RE: Greg  
Keith : 11/17/2017 3:02 pm : link
In comment 13695110 PaulBlakeTSU said:
Quote:
I don't think it's silly to consider metrics like win probability added, though. When it comes down to brass tacks, win probability added measures who most changes his team's win expectancy before and after he comes to the plate.

Since it's a cumulative metric, it blows my mind that Trout led all of baseball in so few games. But he was the best offensive player and played for a team that couldn't do anything without him, so every contribution he made had a gigantic impact on his team's ability to win a game.


Paul, I can appreciate your on this. You always use facts to back up opinions. I don't always agree with you, but I can always appreciate where you are coming from. That being said, can you explain this post to me. So Trout had a huge impact in wins, yet the Angels were .500 with Trout and .500 without him. Wouldn't that tell you that he really didn't have a massive impact? Are we trying to measure how much impact he has in losses? It's just not adding up to me.
I imagine that there were a few reasons beyond performance  
yatqb : 11/17/2017 3:15 pm : link
that contributed to the overwhelming win for Altuve.

1. His performance over the past four years without an MVP prior to this.
2. Judge getting ROY, and writers feeling that they also wanted to acknowledge Altuve since Judge had already been recognized.

Add these to Altuve's consistency, fielding and seeming leadership and writers voted the way they did.

Judge had a season for the ages, and deserved to win MVP as much as Altuve did (more based upon stats). But voters are swayed by a lot of factors when casting a ballot.
RE: I imagine that there were a few reasons beyond performance  
Matt M. : 11/17/2017 4:03 pm : link
In comment 13695133 yatqb said:
Quote:
that contributed to the overwhelming win for Altuve.

1. His performance over the past four years without an MVP prior to this.
2. Judge getting ROY, and writers feeling that they also wanted to acknowledge Altuve since Judge had already been recognized.

Add these to Altuve's consistency, fielding and seeming leadership and writers voted the way they did.

Judge had a season for the ages, and deserved to win MVP as much as Altuve did (more based upon stats). But voters are swayed by a lot of factors when casting a ballot.
yatqb - I don't doubt these factored in for some voters. However, the one I have a real problem with is #2. What if Judge never has another season like this? He shouldn't win MVP because he already won a different award?

For me, it's beyond just the numbers (even thought Judge has the edge in most categories). It's about the team. Houston had a better and more consistent lineup. Judge was the driver for the Yankees lineup. The lineup and team really fed off of him. To me, he was the more valuable player.
Oh, I argued for Judge to win too. But I can accept this result,  
yatqb : 11/17/2017 4:11 pm : link
even if, as you say, Judge never has such a season again. Altuve's been a star for years, and it's OK to me if the writers acknowledge that.
RE: and what's with this notion  
BigBlueShock : 11/17/2017 4:11 pm : link
In comment 13695011 PaulBlakeTSU said:
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that people were looking for reasons to not give Judge the award? He might have been the best individual story all season and he was certainly the most buzzworthy player in the sport.

For a sport that struggled with individual star power vis a vis the other major sports, no one broke through that more this season than Judge.

I see no evidence that there was any vendetta against Judge.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with thinking that Altuve was a more valuable player. Many people value consistency over the course of a long season as opposed to streaks of fire and ice. Plus, Altuve had better numbers in high-leverage situations which writers may value more than production in low-leverage situations.

If the roles were reversed, and we were die-hard Astros fans, do you really think that you would be calling the vote a mockery thinking that Altuve didn't deserve it?

Your last sentence makes no sense and couldn’t be further from what people are saying. Nobody is calling the voting a mockery and absolutely nobody has said that Altuve doesn’t deserve it. It’s actually quite the opposite. Almost every single person on this thread followed up their disappointment at the results by saying that Altuve was deserving. The disappointment comes from only 2 out of 30 voters felt that Judge had the better year. To me it was basically a coin flip so I was expecting a much closer result. Doesn’t mean I think Altuve wasn’t deserving. As I already stated earlier in this thread.
RE: RE: and what's with this notion  
Matt M. : 11/17/2017 4:15 pm : link
In comment 13695192 BigBlueShock said:
Quote:
In comment 13695011 PaulBlakeTSU said:


Quote:


that people were looking for reasons to not give Judge the award? He might have been the best individual story all season and he was certainly the most buzzworthy player in the sport.

For a sport that struggled with individual star power vis a vis the other major sports, no one broke through that more this season than Judge.

I see no evidence that there was any vendetta against Judge.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with thinking that Altuve was a more valuable player. Many people value consistency over the course of a long season as opposed to streaks of fire and ice. Plus, Altuve had better numbers in high-leverage situations which writers may value more than production in low-leverage situations.

If the roles were reversed, and we were die-hard Astros fans, do you really think that you would be calling the vote a mockery thinking that Altuve didn't deserve it?


Your last sentence makes no sense and couldn’t be further from what people are saying. Nobody is calling the voting a mockery and absolutely nobody has said that Altuve doesn’t deserve it. It’s actually quite the opposite. Almost every single person on this thread followed up their disappointment at the results by saying that Altuve was deserving. The disappointment comes from only 2 out of 30 voters felt that Judge had the better year. To me it was basically a coin flip so I was expecting a much closer result. Doesn’t mean I think Altuve wasn’t deserving. As I already stated earlier in this thread.
Well put. As I've already stated, I think altuve was more consistent and is the better hitter/player overall. But, Judge had better numbers in most categories and an historic season. so, only 2 first place votes just seems odd and like his season was easily cast aside.
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