2017 AL MVP

i've been wishfully thinking about that comparison all season

of course he could turn into ryan howard. or he could turn into nelson cruz. neither has any bearing on his 2017 al mvp status

would Howard get his undeserved MVP nowadays? not so sure Utley would be denied

Howard was (even that season) an an outstandingly poor defensive player whereas Judge this year has been pretty good (which may account partially for the gap in bWAR between the two, 7.8 (thus far) to 5.2

i dunnnnnno, some believe in defensive metrics, some don't

I intentionally left defense out of it, and wasn't even thinking about the MVP--just talking about them as hitters. Having much more defensive value will certainly keep Judge in the lineup longer whenever his numbers do start to slip.

I realize the writer in the link above is making a general point with his Pierre/Dunn = Altuve/Judge analogy, but Juan Pierre hit 18 career HR in 8000+ AB; Altuve's hit 24 two seasons in a row. I like that he brought up the '88 NL MVP vote; I remember that one being really hard to call, and James writing something like Strawberry was going to be the first casualty of more detailed stats (I think he hit poorly with runners or base). Imagine Hershiser would win today.

i don't get what the ryan howard comparison is supposed to illustrate

The future, Mr. Gittes...the future. Just trying to guess what kind of a career he's going to have. I should've put that on the Judge thread--it wasn't meant to be linked to the MVP vote in any way.

ugh these movie guys

it's linked to my mvp vote fuck if i'm gonna be on the wrong side of history

that's why i vote for future hall of famer jose altuve every year

Altuve reminds me of Ryne Sandberg, except probably better hitter. Sandberg's range seemed to me to be huge playing second watching him as a kid.

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i think judge has a chance

i find in favor of Judge

Altuve's MLB stats look like Ichiro's stats from Japan. He's like an upgraded version of Ichiro (at the plate at least)!

I don't have an issue with consistency counting for something in a close MVP race. I don't care when you have your best month -- April is no different from September -- but six great months counts for a bit more than four great months and two OK ones.

or the non-Yankee tiebreaker

During the time that Correa was out--July 18 to Sept. 2--Altuve was at his best:

40 games, .384/.418/.597, 18 XBH, 7 HR

Houston was so far ahead at that point (15.5 up when Correa went down), you could say it's a moot point. In a close contest, I'd give that a little weight.

It's not his fault he played in a weak division/year with only four good teams in the entire league. I don't believe in added MVP value if your team wins by one game rather than 20.

My last sentence was ambiguous there; I meant that in a close MVP race, which this one is, I'd give Altuve a little extra credit for his excellence during Correa's absence.

Kluber 1.62 ERA from when he came back (June 1) until the end of the season - 23 starts.

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xpost to clem, OK I see your point but still don't agree!

I hereby nickname you "The Death of Narrative."

I like individual narratives as the tiebreaker in a close vote, like Stanton having a ridiculous 2nd half and chasing 60 HR. But team-based narratives are just that -- they're about the team, and shouldn't affect the voting for an individual award.

My A.L. ballot would go 1) Altuve, 2) Judge, 3) Kluber, 4) Trout, 5) Ramirez.

Altuve ephemera from the internet:

At 5'6", Altuve is the shortest player in the majors since the 5'5" Freddie Patek, who retired after the 1981 season.

And at year's end, he may well become the shortest player to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award since the New York Yankees' 5'6" Phil Rizzuto in 1950.

This year he became the first player in history to lead either league outright in hits in four consecutive seasons, according to Elias Sports Bureau. And during his seven-year career, Altuve has more multihit games (358) than oh-fers (239).

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2735785-once-ignored-by-mlb-56-superstar-jose-altuve-may-now-be-its-mvp

Alexi Amarista is also 5'6"!