From the BBWAA:

Joe Mauer, who won an unprecedented third batting championship for a catcher and helped propel the Minnesota Twins to the American League Central title, was elected the AL Most Valuable Player for 2009 in balloting by the BBWAA.

Mauer, the first catcher to lead his league in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444) and slugging (.587) in the same season, was listed first on all but one of the 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city. He was second on that other ballot to score a total of 387 points, based on a tabulation system rewarding 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.

The top 10: Mauer, Tex, Jeter, Cabrera, Morales, Youkilis, Bay, Zobrist, Ichiro, A-Rod. I have a whole load of observations, so buckle in:

• Just so you know where I am coming from, this was my final ballot: Mauer, Jeter, Greinke, Zobrist, Youkilis, Teixeira, Longoria, Hernandez, Cabrera, Rodriguez. Next 5: Figgins, Halladay, Verlander, Crawford, Ichiro.
• Mauer deserved the award, and it should have been unanimous. Miguel Cabrera getting a first place vote is positively ridiculous, when it could be reasonably argued that he was not the most valuable player on his own team.
• Let’s see if I get the logic here. The MVP is about value to your team, and therefore stats are not the be all end all, and winners should be rewarded. Then why not vote for pitchers? They help teams win, they provide “value” in that sense as well. If it is an award for hitters, then it should be about the numbers.
• Jeter should have finished 2nd. He was 2.3 wins more valuable than Tex, a huge spread. The voters clearly do not understand positional adjustments, nor can they see past home runs or RBI’s as evaluation tools. Some have suggested that the voters are getting smarter, but I am not so sure. I think we are just seeing the effects of the buzz changing. Writers vote based on buzz, and the sabermetric community has loudly helped shaped the buzz this season. However, that buzz generally deals with who finishes first, so we see Mauer rightfully win the award while Jeter gets screwed out of 2nd place.
• How can a pitcher who got 0 Cy Young votes (Rivera) finish ahead of the Cy Young winner?
• Ben Zobrist was way too low. His old school numbers are great, and the saber stats show him to be a top 5 candidate. He did not receive a single top 5 vote.
• Kendry Morales and Jayson Bay are too high. Bay was good for 3 months, as was Morales. 
• A-Rod deserved his 10th place finish, but did not deserve the 3rd place vote he got. He was the 3rd most valuable player on his own team.
• I love Robbie Cano, but he should not have gotten votes. 
• Evan Longoria barely got any recognition for his excellent season.
• Overall, Too high: Tex, Cabrera, Morales, Bay, Ichiro. Too low: Jeter, Greinke, Zobrist, Longoria, Felix, Verlander, Halladay

From Ken Rosenthal:

AL MVP

Preseason pick: Grady Sizemore, CF, Indians

1. Joe Mauer, C, Twins: In the end, it was not even close.

2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox: Defensive versatility makes him unique.

3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees: Team is 89-42 since his return.

4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers: No A-Rod or Jeter among his teammates.

5. Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees: Might prove worth the $180M.

6. Kendry Morales, 1B, Angels: Manager Mike Scioscia prefers Bobby Abreu? Check the numbers.

7. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: Improved defense, third in league in OBP.

8. Jason Bay, LF, Red Sox: Strong start, strong finish.

9. Ben Zobrist, 2B, Rays: Sixth in league in OPS, stellar defense.

10. Michael Young, 3B, Rangers: Strong leader, consistent producer.

Wished I had included: Bobby Abreu and Chone Figgins, Angels; Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners; Aaron Hill, Blue Jays.

There are going to be many of this sort of article over the next week or so, and I have no intention of analyzing each one, as I am certain to disagree with many of them. Furthermore, while the order might be wrong and a name or two might be missing (Longoria), Rosenthal hits on most of the right guys. However, I have to take issue with Kevin Youkilis being second, ahead of all three Yankees.

Honestly, I think the manner in which Ken ranked the Yankee candidates led to this result, as an argument can be made for Youkilis over A-Rod, but not over Jeter and Teixeira. Jeter and Tex both have Youk beat in terms of WAR, meaning they have contributed more production to their club than Youkilis has. The lone element in Youkilis’ favor is his versatility. However, being that his UZR at 3B is -2.7, I really do not see his ability to play there as a huge advantage. Teixeira came up as a 3B-man and probably could handle it, while Jeter could certainly play 1B if necessary. I could see Kevin being ahead of one of them (he is pretty similar to Teixeira in terms of production), but not both. Youkilis has a better case with regard to A-Rod, if only because A-Rod’s case requires you to assume that the team’s turnaround can be entirely attributed to him.

What do you think? How would you rank these players?

From Marc Carig:

As you’d expect in a champagne-soaked celebration, the Yankees were quick to hand out credit to others on Sunday afternoon. Take, for instance, Alex Rodriguez, who bestowed MVP honors on at least three different guys.
“You could say Joe Giradi has been our MVP,” Rodriguez said. “He has been phenomenal.”
He continued: “Mark Teixeira, he’s like a four-star general. He’s just an unbelievable player. I’m so proud to be this teammate, Derek Jeter as well. Both guys should be MVP.”
[snip]
Jeter’s presence atop the lineup has ignited the offense. Teixeira’s blend of power, run production and defense has been invaluable. Girardi should get plenty of credit for his approach to rest and preventing injury. And Cashman should be lauded for the mix of talent he has pieced together.

I asked this question back in August, and the poll to the right suggests that Jeter is the most popular choice. However, a legitimate case can be made for Teixeira, Sabathia, Hughes, Rodriguez, Rivera, and others. Here is my short list:

1. Jeter- has been the team’s best and most consistent hitter.
2. Teixeira- provided the punch to this lineup, stabilized the infield defensively.
3. Sabathia- best pitcher, beat Boston 4 times.
4. Rodriguez- team turned around when he returned.
5. Rivera- the one weapon other clubs cannot match.
6. Hughes- stabilized the set-up role, should be huge factor in October.

What does your list look like?

This is from Golenbock’s Facebook page, which may explain all the horrific spelling errors. He does not actually have an MVP vote, but is representative of a large segment of the voting population. It is quite possibly the most perplexing ballot in the history of ballots. There is no unifying theory, and most importantly, no Derek Jeter:

My pick: Mark Tiexiera. After him, I had in order: Joe Mauer, Ichiro, Dustin Pedroia, Michel Cabrera, Carl Crawford, Kevin Youkelis, Aaron Hill, and Evan Longoria.

The quickest and easiest way to illustrate how ridiculous this ballot is is to use WAR, which encapsulates offense and defense. It is not perfect, but it is probably the best statistical measure to use to determine MVP.

The listed players have the following WAR’s, in this order:

5.1, 7.7, 4.8, 5.0, 5.2, 5.1, 5.0, 3.5, 6.8.

So his number 1 pick is statistically indistinguishable from players 4-7, player 9 should be 2nd, and player 2 should clearly be first. Furthermore, there are a number of top 10 WAR players not on this list of 9 (not sure why he did not list 10 guys), including Ben Zobrist, Derek Jeter, Chone Figgins, and Franklin Guttierez. Clearly, Golenbock was not using statistics to make his picks. Then what was he using? There are many such anomalies on this ballot:

If he wants to credit players from winning teams, as he clearly did with Teixeira, where is Jeter? He is 4th in WAR, ahead of Tex and behind Mauer, Zobrist, and Longoria, and clearly has a reputation as a leader and a winner. That Pedroia, Crawford, and Hill make the ballot while Jeter is left off is astounding.

What is Ichiro doing third? He is on a non-contender and his numbers are lesser than most of the players listed after him.

Miguel Cabrera, Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, and Evan Longoria behind Pedroia? Has he even watched the Red Sox this season?

No Angels? Chone Figgins merits a spot based on the numbers, and guys like Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales should be on any ballot put together without using sabermetric data.

Carl Crawford over Longoria and Zobrist? I get that Zobrist is a new face and that people may not put much stock in the positional adjustments that make him #2 in WAR, but Longoria has clearly been more valuable than Crawford.

Aaron Hill has had a nice year, but he just does not belong.

My ballot today (subject to change): I typically try to use most of the sabermetric statistics while allowing a bit of context (such as whether the team is a playoff team) to filter in.

Joe Mauer
Derek Jeter
Zach Greinke
Miguel Cabrera
Evan Longoria
Chone Figgins
Kevin Youkilis
Mark Teixeira
Felix Hernandez
Ben Zobrist

From Joe Posnanski (h/t WasWatching):

He has, against all odds, become UNDERRATED. And that is a wicked turn. I think Jeter at 35 is having one of his greatest seasons. I think he’s playing defense better than he ever has, he’s getting on base and slugging like he did in his prime, and in my view he has been the Yankees most valuable player in 2009. And, for once, it’s funny, I don’t hear too many other people talking about it.

Now, let me be clear — there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the American League MVP this year is Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, and nobody else is even close, and I feel so strongly about this that I am doing daily updates about it on my blog. But the Twins are probably not going to make the playoffs, and there are many people who feel that the most valuable player must come from a playoff team. And if that’s the case then … well, I think at this moment Jeter might be my MVP, non-Mauer division.

Look: He’s hitting .330 through Tuesday and has a .394 on-base percentage — tied with A-Rod for best on the Yankees. He’s on pace for 218 hits, 109 runs, 21 homers. 27 stolen bases. He’s having a great offensive season, quite similar to the season last year’s MVP, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia, had.

And — this is weird — those advanced statistics that have so universally mocked his defense now show him to be, well, darned good defensively…..

He’s a great player having another great season. He’s one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball history. He’s an absolute first ballot Hall of Famer even if his career ended tomorrow. And in my mind, if Yankees fans want to push one of their own as an MVP candidate they should stop pushing first baseman Mark Teixeira.

I entirely agree with Posnanski, who echoes much of what I have been pushing over the last few weeks. Jeter is the best MVP candidate on this team, and is one of the greatest hitting shortstops of all time. Furthermore, as we discussed yesterday, there had been a growing sentiment regarding Jeter that he was a product of the NY hype machine. People have suggested that if he had spent his career in KC, he would be a borderline Hall of Famer at best. Quite frankly, that notion is ridiculous, and Jeter’s 2009 has become another weapon in the fight against such a silly argument.

So spread the word. Derek Jeter should be the one Yankees fans are pushing for MVP, as Derek tries to notch his first such award despite deserving it in at least one prior season. Hopefully he gets it, as it would be a fitting bow for an amazing career.

From the usually thoughtful Joel Sherman:

There has been a lot of internet chatter recently about the identity of the AL MVP, mainly centering around the candidacies of Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer. There is still more than six weeks to go, so while it all makes for interesting debate, there is still a lot of games left to swing the vote.

But this, to me, continues to be about the debate between those who believe everything can be defined by statistics vs. those who believe in their eyes (usually scouts, but in this case mainly newspaper writers who are with one team daily). I want to believe that I have a foot in both worlds. I like that the stats give me a guidepost, but I still believe there are intangibles in the game, and also that the stats can often be too one-dimensional and not provide a full picture.

I strongly disagree with Joel on this one. While the debate is between those two groups, it really has nothing to do with a stats vs. eyes question. We see Teixeira every day, but only see Mauer 7 times a season, so our eyes are bound to be skewed towards the hometown player. However, anyone who watched those games against the Twins saw how good Mauer is. Looking at their numbers and even watching them on the field, I am not sure an argument can be made for Tex, IF the games were played in a vacuum, without context. Mauer is having one of the best seasons ever by a catcher, possibly the best. Teixeira is having a nice season for a first baseman, but his numbers are not much better than those of Kevin Youkilis, Justin Mourneau, and Miguel Cabrera.

What is the debate? The game is not played in a vacuum. Teixeira is playing well for a great team and helping them win important games. Mauer is having an amazing season for a mediocre team, one that will likely finish out of the money. While the instructions on the MVP ballot specifically state that the MVP need not be from a contender, many voters feel that it should be limited to those players. Those in the stathead community disagree, and feel that the writers should recognize a historic season by Mauer with an award that he probably could have won at least once before.

How do you feel about it? Can an MVP come from a .500 or below team?

The Other Chris H. posed this question during yesterday’s game, and I initially planned on tacking it as a full length post. However, I felt that an in-depth post on the issue would be better served by waiting until after the season, when the variables stop shifting. Instead, I will briefly list the names I believe people will raise with a brief blurb as to their case, and will then turn the discussion over to you in the comments. The names listed are people that I have heard mentioned in the same sentence as the word MVP. There are a few that I disagree with, but I list them because I know that they will be brought up. There will also be a poll in the sidebar to the right.

1) Derek Jeter: Jeter leads the team in WAR, and is having a stellar season both at the plate and in the field. If you believe in the MVP as the guy who it would hurt the team most to lose for a full season (ie the replacement player theory), Jeter is probably your guy.

2) Mark Teixeira: After a rough April, he has been the rock in the center of this lineup. He has a number of big hits, and seems to have saved a number of games with his glove. He is near the league leaders in home runs and RBI’s.

3) Alex Rodriguez: His case is simple, and it has nothing to do with statistics. He has been incredibly clutch, and the team has won at a startling pace since his return.

4) AJ Burnett: While the rest of the pitching staff was struggling to find its way, Burnett put together a dominant run and helped keep the bullpen fresh.

5) Alfredo Aceves: He has provided great, versatile relief work and really turned this bullpen around. There is incredible v alue in a guy who can give you plenty of quality length out of the bullpen.

6) Phil Hughes: Has taken hold of the 8th inning, shut down the calls for Joba to head to the bullpen, and has been credited by many, such as Jorge Posada, for the feeling that games are now over if the Yankees are leading in the latter stages of a contest.

7) Mariano Rivera: Still awesome, still shutdown. He is the one piece that no other team can match.

Yankee Captain, World Series MVP, ASG MVP, Rookie of the Year. Derek Jeter has had a much lauded career, and certainly has never been lacking recognition. However, for all of his illustrious accomplishments and accolades, there is one award that he has yet to nab: American league MVP. He was close in 1998 and 1999, and had the award stolen from him by Justin Mourneau in 2006. However, 2009 may finally be his year, assuming that he maintains his stellar performance. Let us take a closer look at the numbers that support his case.

BA: .321 (5th in AL)
OBP: .398 (6th)
Runs: 63 (11th)
Hits: 123 (T-2nd)
BB: 46 (20th)

Power numbers are bound to be lower as a SS, so I thought it would be more instructive to compare him to other shortstops for those statistics.

SLG: .457 (2nd among AL SS)
2B: 19 (5th)
HR: 11 (T-1st)
RBI: 43 (4th- leader at 47) (remember, Derek is leading off)
UZR: 4.4 (3rd)

Jeter is third in AL WAR (Wins Above Replacement) behind Ben Zobrist and Joe Mauer, with Evan Longoria just behind him. Mauer, Jeter, and Longoria look to be the serious candidates, with each exceeding 19 million dollars in value thus far. I think Derek is likely to finish second, with Mauer finally winning the award that has eluded him for the last few seasons. However, if the Yankees make the postseason while the Rays and Twins are left at home, Jeter’s case will get stronger, as writers often like to reward players who helped lead their team to the playoffs. This is probably Derek Jeter’s last great chance at an MVP award. Hopefully the writers finally recognize his value.