Heh

[yendi]

From this 2003 article on the worst MVPs ever:

"I found two players who won the MVP award with seasons that cannot be justified by any statistical measure whatsoever. The worst MVP season in American League history belongs to Roger Peckinpaugh in 1925. The worst MVP in National League history belongs to Marty Marion in 1944. The common thread was the fact that both players were shortstops on pennant-winning teams. Peckinpaugh was with the Washington Senators (96-55) and Marion was with the St. Louis Cardinals (105-49)."

(Emphasis mine)

Welcome to the "statistically completely undeserving, but lucky enough to be shortstop on a winning team" club, Jimmy Rollins.

(In fairness, Jimmy's season wasn't as bad as the other two, but his election is still a disgrace to the BBWAA. And yes, I'm still pissed about it).

Comments

derek jeter

[hamlet423.livejournal.com]

why weren't you so outraged when Derek Jeter lost the MVP last year to twin first baseman Justin Morneau?

Any Sabermetric analysis proved jeter had a far more productive offensive season than Morneau. For whatever reason 100 rbis carries a lot more weight than say, 80 rbis. But jeter had decent defense (at a much tougher position than first base!) but so much runs scores, walk, on base percentage through the roof.....where is your sense of Yankee pride???

disgrace

[hamlet423.livejournal.com]

Ok, sorry for all the prior typos.

i guess you have no Yankee pride--maybe just METS pride.

But how about back in 1987 when Keith Hernandez told pretty much any baseball writer he could find, NOT to vote for Darryl Strawberry for MVP, but for Kevin McReynolds instead? Which insured that Kirk Gibson won the MVP award with probably the worst batting numbers of all time. The fact that Hernandez might have have had enough influence to tip a vote like that is sad.

All the more unsettling--Kevin McReynolds was a great numbers guy (at first) but his complete lack of passion eventually became a mets hallmark of the late 80s and early 90s while the more "passionate" mets got dumped. Very well documented in "The worst team money could buy."

Mac also got old fast, thanks to drinking, eating and complete lack of working out (couldnt even figure out how to use an exercise bike in the mets training room).

And not,its not a book about the Jets.

Re: disgrace

[thegreatjohnzo.livejournal.com]

if you seriously think keith hernandez has that kind of power, you've been watching too much seinfeld. furthermore, 130 rbis, not 100. i will grant you that jeter had a good season that year*. morneau had a better slugging and OPS, while jeter had better avg (20ish more hits in 20ish more ABs) and OBP. that bring said, a 20 home run difference is another reason that morneau won it. chicks and sportswriters dig the longball, man.

*and i realize i'm underestimating how overly wonderful that season was, etc. i prefer the yankees over boston, but seriously man, let it go. and sabermetrics? isnt that one of them things that the jello-pogs came up with?

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/11/26/the-dugout-pouring-grease-on-the-bill-conlin-fire/

you are a joyless lump hamlet423