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September 24, 2021

[Ed. Note: Today, Mark Kolier asks us to put on our thinking caps as he makes a strong case that it’s time for MLB to create a new MOP Award, going to the Most Outstanding Player. As such, he draws a distinction between the most outstanding season and the most valuable season. It’s hard to argue with the points he makes. He convinced me, but see what you think! -GL]

New Blog Topic: 

MLB Should Create an “MOP Award”: Most Outstanding Player

 

In 1987 Hall-of-Famer Andre Dawson (featured above) then of the Chicago Cubs, hit 49 home runs, drove in 137 runs, batted .287, and won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. He was named MVP of the National League. The Cubs finished sixth in the National League East – last place. The argument then and still today is – the Cubs could’ve finished last without him!

Hall-of-Famer Ralph Kiner never won an MVP award but was a highly productive player hitting 369 career home runs in ten seasons.  His best year was 1951 when his 42 home runs drove in 137 (just like Andre Dawson did 36 years later) and hit .305. Kiner held out in early 1952, his output having previously earned him

$90,000 in annual salary, at the time the highest in the league. Pirates General Manager Branch Rickey decided the figure should be cut by 25 percent. Kiner, after a three-week holdout in spring training, ended up taking a 15 percent pay cut and played for $76,500. The Pirates finished seventh, just ahead of the Cubs.  This is unimaginable today.

2021: What a Season!

The 2021 baseball season, conducted during a global pandemic, has provided some amazing individual performances. From Salvador Perez’s shattering of the record for home runs for a catcher, to Shohei Ohtani’s unprecedented combination of pitching and hitting prowess, not to mention Marcus Semien’s tremendous season as he prepares to enter free agency. All three of those players should be in contention for what I am calling a new ‘Most Outstanding Player’ award. This season, the American League MVP should go to Semien’s teammate, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is close to achieving a Triple Crown, whether the Blue Jays make the playoffs or not.

Is the Traditional Triple Crown Still Relevant?

After 90 years, is the Triple Crown award still really that important? After all, two of the three components – batting average and runs batted in – are seen with less flattering eyes than was the case 30 or more years ago. Yet a Triple Crown with home runs, on-base percentage, and OPS+ is, well, messy and a bit confusing. WAR is a very useful statistic but completely derivative, making it not as relevant in a conversation about who wins the Triple Crown. For history’s sake, I say – Yes, the major league Triple Crown is something fans keep track of and remember, and so it remains important. 

For the record, through September 20, Vlad Jr. would win the Triple Crown of home runs (he’s tied right now), on-base percentage, and OPS+. He’s ten RBIs

short of the current league leader Salvador Perez (with whom he’s tied for the home run lead), and he leads the major leagues in batting average. Shohei Ohtani is third in home runs, is batting .255, and trails the RBI leader by more than 20. Oh, but what about the pitching?  Ohtani has been nothing short of excellent on the mound!  The combination of his hitting and pitching makes his bWAR number an incredible 8.0. 

For comparison, among the best bWAR seasons of all-time, Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson had a bWAR of 16.6 in 1913 and Babe Ruth a bWAR of 14.2 in 1923 – after he stopped pitching.  Johnson had modest but ‘good for a pitcher’ batting stats in 1913. He did go 36-7 with a 1.15 ERA and won the MVP – sort of, since there was not an official MVP award given out until 1931.

The ‘Romantic’ MVP Award!

There’s something romantic and simple about leading the league in home runs, RBIs, and batting average.  No matter what, winning the MVP should go to the most valuable player on the team – the one without whom the team had a much lower chance of winning a playoff spot. The Blue Jays still have a shot and would not be there without Vlad Jr. The Angels without Ohtani might have finished last below the lowly Texas Rangers. Instead, they will finish second-to-last in the American League West. How is that a most valuable player season?  If Mike Trout was playing and the Angels were battling for a playoff berth, wouldn’t Mike Trout have been more valuable to his team? 

Of course, that’s a bit unfair. Does Marcus Semien’s season take votes away from

Vlad Jr. since you can ask, “Where would the Jays be without Semien?” Having Trout all season without Ohtani would have the Angels probably right where they are now.  The Jays without Marcus Semien? Well, they would still be a good team, but we’ll never know.

MLB should create another award – the MOP: Most Outstanding Player, and then both Shohei Ohtani and Vlad Guerrero Jr. would be honored and remembered for their historic seasons! 

Mark Kolier

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