If you’re expecting to read a post about sabermetrics, this is not it (this is: Bill Simmons on Justin Verlander and the meaning of “Most Valuable Player”). This is more of a drunken rant; a rant from a Tiger fan that thinks our star pitcher deserves not only the Cy Young, but also the MVP.
For most of the season Justin Verlander was in a pretty tight race for the Cy Young award with Jered Weaver of the Angels and CC Sabathia of the Yankees. At this point, Verlander has pretty much separated himself from the pack and looks like the clear front-runner for the Cy Young. Verlander leads the league in wins (21), ERA (2.34), and strikeouts (224)—the Triple Crown. Winning the Triple Crown would essentially give JV a lock at winning the American League Cy Young Award.
While the Cy Young is a prestigious award, Verlander’s spectacular season warrants further accolades—the Most Valuable Player Award. Without Verlander’s 21 wins, the Tigers are merely a .500 club, and probably not in the playoff race. With Verlander, the Tigers are leading the AL Central by 7.5 games and are in pretty good shape to not only make the playoffs (knock on wood), but also possibly take a run at winning the AL Pennant and even the World Series.
Of course there are plenty of other players having great seasons—Granderson and Bautista to name a few. But, are these players truly most valuable? Despite his career season, the Yankees would likely still make the playoffs without Granderson. So, while undoubtedly “valuable” to his club, is Granderson really “most valuable” on a team of stars? Bautista is also having a career season, but on a mediocre team. Shouldn’t the MVP be awarded to a player who not only plays an amazing season, but also leads his team to the playoffs, with his “value” to the team? I think so. I don’t mean to discount Granderson or Bautista’s seasons, just to argue that they are not “most valuable” players.
Maybe this is just the beer talking, maybe this is just a rant. Either way, it has been a pleasure to watch JV play this year, and I look forward to watching Verlander and the Tigers continue their season in October. Cheers to Justin Verlander and the Tigers!