Ryan Braun won the 2011 NL MVP, according to the Baseball Writers Association of America. The 28-year-old becomes the third Brewer to be named MVP, joining Rollie Fingers and Robin Yount. Braun hit 33 homers, stole 33 bases, drove in 111 runs and posted a .332/.397/.597 line for a league-leading .994 OPS in 2011.
Braun obtained 20 of a possible 32 first-place votes to win the award over Matt Kemp, teammate Prince Fielder and Justin Upton. Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, Lance Berkman, Troy Tulowitzki, Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard rounded out the top ten.
Kemp got hosed
I’m betting Braun’s team making it to the playoffs played a role in him winning, although it shouldn’t have.
Then why not give it to Pujols. His team won the WS and he did not do so bad on the field either.
The voting closes before the postseason
And both the Brewers and Dodgers where either in or out of the playoffs while the voting took place. As the standings go.
that’s dumb. how would that not have a role? It’s Most Valuable Player…. Do the Brewers make the playoffs without Braun? No. I agree with Albert, if anything Braun should be 1A and Albert the Great, 1B for co-mvp’s. Dodgers didn’t do anything, take Kemp away and guess what – the dodgers still don’t do anything.
It is Most Valuable Player in the league.. Not Most Valuable Player for their team. Doesnt matter if the team makes the playoffs or not… it is what they did over the course of 162 games.. otherwise we would call it MVTP (Most Valuble Team Player)
Kemp should have won it just for dating Rihanna!
Just because it plays a role, doesn’t mean it’s the only factor. You’re dazed and confused if you think that no one is allowed to take that into consideration. He’s a valuable player because he had a good season. He’s also a valuable player because he helped his team win. As good as a season Kemp had, he wasn’t so far head and shoulders above Braun that there was no question about it. There’s no travesty with Braun winning it over Kemp anymore than it would have been if Kemp won it over Braun. Both had performances that are well deserving, but only one of them got more votes.
I don’t think it’s a travesty that Braun won, he had an amazing year. What I, and others are saying is that you’re saying Braun helped his team win more than Kemp helped his team win b/c Braun’s team won more. Which ignores the point that the other 24 players on the Brewer’s were better than the other 24 on the Dodger’s.
I’m not saying that Braun helped his team more than Kemp. All I’m saying is that it plays a role in how they vote. Seeing that they don’t have strict guidelines on not allowing votes based on this, it’s perfectly reasonable and within their rights to use this factor in deciding. You guys are all crazy if you think Braun won it because the Brew Crew won more. He won it because he had an amazing year to be even considered. Turns out more voters thought he was more valuable. Nowhere does it say you have to vote for the guy who had the best stats, nor does it say you have to give it to the guy who is more valuable to his team. They’re allowed to think critically about this and decide on their subjective evaluation. There’s nothing about Braun winning being wrong. You guys are saying it’s not fair to Kemp that the Brewers did better, but life’s not fair. Oh no. Why would it be any more or less fair to give Kemp more consideration because he played on a poor team? It wouldn’t, because you could just as easily say that, so Kemp had more to overcome more without protection around him. It’s based on a voting system, which can go either way. There’s nothing unfair about this unless Kemp got no votes at all.
Wait, wait, wait, you just said “All I’m saying is that it plays a role in how they vote.” Saying that the Brewer’s winning more DOES matter in voting, then 2 sentences later you say “You guys are all crazy if you think Braun won it because the Brew Crew won more.” Huh?? Really? I think I’m done debating w/you.
Yes I most certainly said that. If you read carefully you will see that. Just because it plays a factor doesn’t mean it’s the reason he won, and it’s certainly not the only reason he won. It’s not that hard to figure out.
Kemp’s numbers are better in just about every category. One of the only places Braun has an advantage is OPS, yet Kemp had a better OPS+. Kemp had the better year, and the only reason Braun won was because of his team. If each team made it to the playoffs, i doubt Braun wins the MVP
I don’t disagree. But as I said, Kemp’s numbers weren’t so drastically better that it was no question he should win.
While I’m not a major proponent of “give it to the guy on the better team” look at it this way. Whats more important hitting a grandslam to to clinch a winning season or hitting a 3 run homer to clinch a division? thats what braun did all year, he put a playoff team in position to be a playoff team.
People can argue this BS all they want.. its like saying LaRussa should have won Manager of the Year because he helped the Cardinals win the World Series.. or Wrigley field should get the MVP because the place it tiny and it helped the players hit homeruns and win more games.. The MVP award is all politics anyways. Congrats to the winners lets move on to TRADE RUMORS!
I agree.. I personally think Kemp had the edge but they both had great seasons.. but your telling me that Kemps 40 SB, 39 HR, and .300 plus average didnt help the Dodgers win the games they did?
I’m not telling you that, nor did I ever say it.
I agree with this. It’s not like Kemp’s stats were that much better than Braun’s. Braun’s were just as good. And Braun’s team made the playoffs. Braun deserved the award. In a year when one player’s stats are just so much better than anyone else’s, than that player should win. But in a year like this, with two players putting up pretty much equally great stats, give it to the guy who made the playoffs. Making the playoffs makes up for the tiny amount that his stats were worse than those Kemp put up.
No NCAA Football player has ever won the Heisman on a losing team. get over it.
But the Dodgers were not a losing team.
What does Braun do in LA? With James Loney and Jamey Carroll his protection in the lineup? Kemp’s numbers are 100x more impressive because he literally did it alone. Scully has multiple quotes during games, and one stands out. After Kemp hit a walk off a homerun, his quote was “They pitched to the one man who could beat them, and he did”. If Braun is walked, they have to face Fielder. Much easier for the manager of the opposing team to put Braun in a situation to succeed.
want to rethink that now that Braun Doesn’t have Fielder?
The best player has the most value to his team no matter what team they are or where they finished. To say that a player is less valuable b/c his team didn’t finish in first doesn’t make sense.
Without Kemp, the Dodgers are still a 3rd place team. Without Braun, the Brewers may not make playoffs.
But if you put Braun on the Dodgers or Kemp on the Brewers, it’s the same story. So why is Kemp penalized?
It’s mostly how it always is. I don’t have a vote 🙂
I agree. Just saw the same argument from Morosi the other day and wanted to get my argument out haha.
Like in 2001 when the Giants didn’t make the playoffs but Bonds won MVP*
You should! I’ll draw the nomination papers.
This is a really good point. Braun is getting extra points for something that he had no control over. Brewers would have made the playoffs with Kemp instead of Braun. So how does that quantify *their* value?
Because life’s not fair, and nothing said it was supposed to be fair. His performance greatly affects how his team does, and likewise his team’s performance is going to affect how he does. So these supposed hypotheticals really don’t matter since it’s the performance that is measured. Part of it is objective, and the other is subjective. There’s a reason why the award is based on votes. It wouldn’t be an award if you could automatically qualify for it.
All I’m saying is, an individual award should be based on an individual’s performance.
It is based on individual performance. But individual performance isn’t strictly unrelated to team performance.
I’ll refer you to my first post, with the feeling that we’re about to go in circles.
I don’t think we are. I don’t think it’s a bad idea that it’s based on individual performance, but their performances are greatly factored by many variables. That’s why they’re not told to just vote for the guy with the best stats. If that was the case, there’s really nothing to judge and nothing to vote on. They could make the award completely metric based.
Right, there are variables, but IMO, team performance shouldn’t be one of them. If we want to determine who the best player of each postseason team is, the name of the award should be changed. Statistics are objective, but the way we value each stat is the part that I think is subjective. When someone like Kemp is, in essentially every aspect of the game, better than Braun, he should clearly be the winner.
I know, but it doesn’t matter what you think. Not being mean, but the fact of the matter is they haven’t been told that this variable isn’t one to consider and they haven’t been restricted from doing so either. Until that is placed in stone, they’re free to consider whether it’s “right” or not. Not to mention that the team’s performance does affect how well a player does, and sometimes it can greatly do so.
It’s just too bad players are being penalized by voters for something completely out of their control. And going back to my first post, it IS out of their control.
I don’t think they’re being penalized, but I see why you would say that. Look, the way I see it is that it’s a judging contest, just like anything else that requires some sort of subjective factor. The guys are compared to each taking into account mostly of how well they do, but other things like the league they’re in, the division, the team they’re on, the stadium they play in, and everything else under the sun all play a factor on how the votes are casted. But naturally like any judging contest, it doesn’t just come down strictly to some numbers except votes. I can see how someone would think they’re being penalized, but I see it as merely things to take into account. If they weren’t allowed to do this, what would be the point of voting?
Very good points. I guess in the end, what I’m saying is, many of the voters should put more thought into their theory that making the playoffs automatically makes a player more valuable than one who doesn’t. But like you said, my opinion doesn’t matter haha.
haha, My opinions don’t matter either if it makes you feel better. Personally I would’ve voted for Kemp. All I was ever saying is that the voters have a right to take these things into consideration. Obviously enough of them don’t agree with me, but I don’t think it’s unjust for them to disagree with us and vote on what they believe is right. Braun was still a good choice. It was kind of like how Sosa won over McGwire in 98.
Well, considering someone voted Michael Young their top choice for MVP, maybe our opinions should matter haha.
That’s a different story. I think the voters should also be held accountable by their own peers. That guy should lose his right to vote 🙂
You’re right in saying that part of it is subjective, but I wonder if this devalues the merit of the award? We have seen trends in voting for awards, such as the Cy Young has shifted from “who has the most wins” to considering ERA, WHIP, K’s etc. Would it be so bad if the award were completely metric based? It would make things more fair, albeit less exciting.
I see what you’re saying, and I would say yes it would be. It’s not like these guys are the worst players in the league, or even league average. They’re still the best of the crop that are getting considered. I think it holds more merit since stats can’t be completely objective. If we made it strictly metric based, it wouldn’t be an award. It would be a reward for accomplishing something, which doesn’t hold the same merit as an award. At least not to me.
I see where you’re coming from, but I still don’t like how subjective/unclear the voting ends up. I’m not sure I’d want things to be completely metric based, but I think what would be helpful is if the guidelines for voting were clearer. For example, X amount should be weighted toward metrics, Y amount for league/division competition, Z amount toward team success etc. Some sort of rubric is what I mean. That might help to clear the ambiguity of the word “valuable.”
And again, it doesn’t matter what we like. We’re not the ones that have the privilege of voting. But what advantage do they have for creating these rubrics or guidelines? I mean seriously think about this. The fact that every year so many people complain does nothing but cause more discussion about it, which is great publicity for it. If they made it so concrete, there would be nothing to debate. Also, if they made it this concrete and had such guidelines, who would enforce it? Even a rubric like that has gaping holes left open for interpretation. At this point they haven’t even said if the MVP was supposed to be the best player, the most valuable to his team, or the guy with the best stats. I think there are far less serious problems with it if they leave it open to interpretation like this rather than try to restrict it and then fight the battle of how those restrictions are interpreted. Either way, I do think that the writers who vote should be peer reviewing each other to hold each other accountable, but outside of that you’re only asking for more problems. There’s a difference between the guys voting for Braun vs Kemp, and the guy who voted for Michael Young in the AL.
I honestly don’t know if I really agree with this idea, but I’m just frustrated by not knowing why people voted the way they did and the fact that there’s disparity in the understanding of the term valuable. Make things clearer and people will be happier.
But thats the difference. You’re changing your argument. We are saying that Kemp deserved to win because he had a better year. You originally said he Braun should win because his team was better, but when someone questions that, you go to life isn’t fair. Which one is it?
I never once said Braun should win. If I’ve said anything, it’s that I would have voted for Kemp too. I never changed my argument. All I ever said was that the writers are allowed to consider it and that there’s nothing unjust about them considering it, and there’s nothing unjust with who won. If Kemp had won, it would have been the exact same thing.
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!
With Braun in Kemp’s place, the Dodgers are still a 3rd place team. With Kemp in Braun’s place, the Brewers still make the playoffs.
“Without Kemp, the Dodgers are still a 3rd place team.”
Without Kemp, the Dodgers are a last place team.
Congratulations to Ryan Braun however, tremendous season.
No he didn’t. Team success has a LOT to do with it
Press doesn’t like Kemp. (I don’t like Kemp.) But he should have been the MVP in a walk.
The baseball writers have just shown their stupidity again when it comes to chosing the MVP of both leagues. Consider the following.
Ryan Braun: 563 AB’s, 109 Runs, 33 HR’s, 111 RBi’s, 58 BB’s, 93 K’s, 33 SB’s, .332 AVG, .397 OBP, .597 Slug, .933 OPS
Jose Bautista: 513 AB’s, 105 Runs, 43 Hr’s, 103 Rbi’s, 132 BB’s, 111 K’s, 9 SB’s, .302 AVG, .447 OBP, .608 Slug, 1.056 OPS
Braun won the NL MVP and Baustista finished third in the vote. Bautista lost to Verlander, and now compare Verlander to Kershaw, who didn’t finish in the top ten.
Verlander: 34 G, 24 – 5, 4 CG, 251 INN’s, 174 Hits, 73 Runs, 67 ER’s, 24 Hrs., 57 BB’s, 250 K’s, 2.40 ERA, 0.92 whip, .192 BA
Kershaw: 33 G, 21 – 5, 4 CG, 233.1 INN’s, 174 Hits, 66 Runs, 59 ER’s, 15 Hrs, 54 BB’s, 248 K’s, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 whip, .207 BA
Kershaw got ripped off big time for the MVP in the NL. He beats Verlander in almost every category and yet Verlander beat Bautista, who beat Braun in almost every category. The writers then state they are competent, uh huh, right. Kershaw and Baustista should have switched leagues and both of them would have won the MVP, instead of finishing third and not even in the top ten. Kershaw is probably wondering what he has to do now, since he beat Verlander and Verlander was the MVP in the AL. lol.
Dude…why is it so hard to understand? MVP caliber seasons on a playoff contending team. If one was head and shoulders above (like a Barry Bonds type season) then that’s one thing.
How can you say Kershaw was more important than Kemp even?
6 more hrs and 7 more SB on a team that did nothing. Not exactly a huge reason to give it to Kemp. If you have an almost identical performance from two different players and one is on a playoff team, then guess what? The guy on the playoff team wins.
I absolutely agree though, that there should be a separate award with the same esteem as the Cy Young to recognize the best offensive performance from a player.
There is. It’s called the Hank Aaron Award. Given to the person who was the best hitter in each league.
Should have just given it to Verlander…
They got this one wrong.
T-Plush thinks the Hebrew Hammer is better than Alberta and Matty Kemp! T-Plush just tweeted Cody is wrong!
tplush is just lucky to play at the pro level himself.
FYI…I hate T-Plush
Well said… Truer words have never been spoken.
Not sure what you mean, but Nyjer Morgan hit a very respectable .304/.357/.421 with great defense in 2011. Most teams in baseball would kill for him in CF.
Most teams have self respect and wouldn’t want that little fool on their team making them look bad, hence why he is a Brewer.
**DID NOT MEAN TO LIKE YOUR COMMENT**
-Nyger Morgan and the word “respect” should never be in the same sentence. He is an embarrassment to the league
You can click the Like button again and it would take your like away and lower the number
those Cardinals are such a classy bunch
Man, get over the NLDS! The best team won.. you soar loser
He also Tweeted “I hope the crying birds enjoy watching us in the playoffs” (love that tweet cuz its so true)
Cant believe you even follow Nyger Morgans Tweets
The Braves choked just because we wanted the Cards to make him look dumber than he already is 😀
HA! I dont even have a twitter account! It was sarcasm, I love the cards and dislike the brews bc of nyjer. I actually go to 5-10 games a yr at Busch. I have just as much cardinal clothing as i do Red Sox.
This is unexpected.
Fielder and Upton also got first place votes.
Bruan- 20 1st place, 12 2nd
Kemp- 10 1st, 16 2nd and 6 3rd
dats racist
Congrats to Braun! Well deserved!
and well deserved, congrats Mr. Braun…I almost layed down a joke based off of his religion but that might be inappropriate so I’ll go with giving him the year’s best belly flop award instead
They got this one right.
1 person does not like this.
Make that two.
Kemp definitely deserved it more than Braun. No point in arguing any further because they are not going to take back the award and give it to Matt. But just to clarify, Kemp was a better player last season than Ryan.
Kemp was one bomb away from 40/40. He deserved it. Plus, he plays center field.
But the award is not who the Better player is. The Better player is obviously Kemp and there wouldn’t even be need any voting. It is of one’s opinion on how Valuable is defined in these. I don’t have a problem with Bruan winning it, nor would I have had a problem with Kemp winnng it. Shame on those writers though who did not vote them as their top 2.
They need to let someone other than writers to vote on it.. How about the NBA Owners/Player Unions since they are amazing at solving problems.
Ridiculous! Terrible…Kemp deserved it
numbers wise Kemp definately deserved it. HOWEVER, you have to remember Braun put up the numbers not only for a contender, but he did it to put a contender in position to win a lot of games. I think that’s what it came down too
I hate this argument.
I hated it last year with the AL MVP.
If you’re implying that Hamilton was less deserving than Cabrera, than this isn’t even close to the same thing.
If you honestly don’t see the comparison between the voting the last two years, then I’m afraid I don’t have the patience or ability to teach well enough to explain this to you. I’ll let you check out the statiscally similarities on your own because I don’t have the time to do it on my iPhone.
Not even close to the same thing? Are you serious?
I’ll make it easy; 2010 Cabrera>ham(if only by a little, have you). 2011; kemp>Braun Bautista>JV(comparing apples to oranges, but whatever)
Now, can we find the common factor here as to why who won what?
I was implying that it’s not close to the same, because 2010 probably could have gone either way. Whereas the gap between Braun and Kemp is faaar more distant.
Nothing to do with Fielder hitting right next to him…
Because Loney, Ethier, and Carrol were soooo bad last year that Kemp had to do everything by himself right?
HAHA! Fielder put up more HR’s and almost as much RBI’s as Loney and Ethier combined?!?!
But that is because Fielder had Rickie Weeks protecting him. Not because he is good or anything…
First you compare Loney and Ethier to Fielder, now you’re comparing Rickie Weeks to Fielder??? Done with this conversation.
you are kidding, right? Please tell me your kidding. PLEASE!
Braun put up his numbers in a better lineup on a better team. If anything, that makes Kemp even more deserving.
It’s not ridiculous lol you can argue that maybe Kemp was a little more deserving. But it’s certainly far from ridiculous. Braun’s numbers were just as good. And his team made the playoffs.
wow
wrong in both leagues
Please for the love of God tell me how Verlander didnt deserve to win the AL MVP? This should be quite entertaining.
Ill take a shot:
He plays once every 5 days?
So you’re telling me because he only plays once every five days he doesnt deserve it with stats like this?
24-5 which is a W-L% of .828
14 Complete Games
5 Shutouts
250 Strike-outs
Come on man!
Yes
Fangraphs did an excellent piece on it, some of the arguments I’m co-opting here so don’t give me credit, but:
Verlander’s ERA- of 58 made him 42% better at preventing runs and making outs than a 2011 league average pitcher. When measured up against Cy Young winners of the last 20 years, he’s tied for 18th. That basically measures dominance relative to the rest of the league. So by the last 20 years standards, he wasn’t that much more dominant than other Cy Young winners.His ERA+ was 170 which puts him 44th amongst pitchers going back to the last time a pitcher won the award (Clemens in 86). To give you some perspective, Pedro Martinez’s ERA+ was 291 in 2000. That’s 121 points better than Verlander. Pedro didn’t win the MVP.So really this idea that Verlander was THAT much more dominant than other pitchers is a total media creation. Basically Wins + low ERA + HEAT = good pitcher in their book. He was very good this year. I think he was the best pitcher in baseball. I think he was CLEARLY the best pitcher in baseball this year. But he wasn’t as dominant as people say he was.In his favor, the ‘he doesn’t play games’ thing is a bad argument. Hitters had something like 900 PA’s against him this year, which is more PA’s that Bautista or Ellsbury had. So how much time he spent playing is irrelevant. Also, Verlander’s wins WERE more ‘valuable’ in a dollars and cents perspective. The Tigers won 95 games. Without Verlander’s 8 wins, they win 87 games and finish out of the playoffs. Playoffs create a massive amount of revenue for a team that can significantly effect their payroll, budget and add to the flexibility of the roster moves they can make the following season. The difference between win 90 and 91 is gargantuan this year because of those dollars and cents. That one win alone in 2011 is worth more than winning 10 games to take you from 75 wins to 85 wins – or in Bautista’s case, 73 wins to 81 wins. And believe it or not, Ellsbury’s 82 wins to 90. Verlander’s wins were more ‘valuable’ in that sense.
So I think there’s a case for Verlander to win the award but let’s not try to make him out to be Sandy Koufax here. He wasn’t really that dominant.
Wow! Very good!
Nice job putting his career complete games and shutouts to try and prove him as season mvp lol.
4 Complete games, 2 Shutouts.
Hey no problem man. Glad I could help
Ok. But think how much impact he has on that one game every 5 games. He pretty much decides the win or loss, for the most part.
He helps. His offense still has to score.
Bautista should have won the AL… why penalize someones great year because they play for a terrible team…
Same argument for Kemp… He pretty much beat Braun in every offensive category while playing an up the middle position…
0 – 2 on MVP this year…
maybe he should try not striking once every 3.8 at bats.
maybe he should try not hitting so many homeruns or stealing so many bases…
He only affected the outcome of 34 of 162 games. Without him, the team maybe wins 10 fewer games. Without Ellsbury, Boston wins a lot less.
and in those 34 games, he was the most important factor. Jacoby Ellisbury isn’t the most important player in 162 games.
Of course he wasn’t. Nice reach. But he was an important factor in more than 34. And probably helped create more wins for his team than Verlander.
Without Ellsbury, the Red Sox don’t blow the last game of the season to cap off the worst collapse in the history of baseball because they wouldn’t have even been close to that position. Ellsbury ensured that the Red Sox were the embarrassment of baseball this season.
They probably would’ve been better off without him.,
Ellsbury has almost no case. He’s not even the center piece of Boston’s line up, and he had a good season, but not an MVP season.
Pedroia wasn’t the centerpiece in 2008 either. Heck, you could argue that Braun isn’t either, and Fielder was.
But in statistical terms… how can you say Ellsbury didn’t have an MVP season when his stats are nearly identical to Braun’s?
Braun: .332, 109 R, 33 HR, 111 RBI, and 33 steals
Ellsbury: .321, 119 R, 32 HR, 105 RBI, and 39 steals
So therefore the difference between having an “MVP Season” and having “almost no case” is what exactly?
I don’t think he was the most valuable player on his own team.
Ellsbury was easily the most valuable player on the red sox… I’m no sox fan, but I think thats pretty apparent to the baseball world.
Pretty sure he was talking about the Tigers and Cabrera vs. Verlander.
I would have went Kemp.
Someone voted for Prince Fielder over Ryan Braun? That’s funny.
I’m a Brewer fan and I would have voted for Prince too. Braun missed a dozen games. Fielder didn’t miss any. Fielder protected Braun, not the other way around.
What a shock. You’re 100% wrong again.
Repeat after me: Protection is not a thing. Protection is not a thing. Protection is not a thing.
And he missed 12 games. Good God.
how is protection not a thing?
It’s just not. I’ll link you one of 100 interesting articles on the subject. Hang on.
Edit: I imagine linking is frowned upon since I’ve never seen a link in the comments section, so I’ll just say: google “baseball protection myth” and let the knowledge flow.
Also, I heard Tim McCarver say it, so it must be b.s.
Protection is definitely a thing.
No. No it isn’t.
Sure it is. You can buy it in the gas station bathro… oh, you’re talking about baseball. I agree, it’s not a thing.
Prince didn’t hit behind Braun to “protect” him. Prince hit behind Braun because Braun is an above-average baserunner and will not clog the bases like Prince is guaranteed to do.
Put Braun behind Prince and the Brewers score less runs, because Fielder is an atrocious baserunner, NOT because Braun is being left unprotected.
It’s a shame that Kemp got penalized for being on a bad team. The Brewers wouldn’t have been in the playoffs without both Braun and Fielder in addition to their strong starting pitching staff. Braun played for an all around better team than Kemp did, no wonder he was in the playoffs.
Put Braun on the Dodgers and they’re in the same position they are with Kemp. Not saying he didn’t deserve it.
The Dodgers were not a bad team last season — they ended up with a winning record. That’s mediocre, but not bad. I don’t accept the reasoning that it’s about the team not the player anyway. If that was the case then Kershaw would not have won the CY.
I actually like this result for the benefit of Kemp’s mindset. He did well enough in the voting to know that he’s got a shot at it. No slacking, Matt — we want you to win next year!
You can’t give the CY Young and MVP to two players on the same team that was awful. That’s why Braun won
But you can give them to the same guy?
So penalize someone because their teammate also had a good year? I’m sorry but that’s the worst reasoning I’ve heard for giving Braun the MVP over Kemp. It’s an individual award, the Cy Young voting should have no effect on the MVP voting.
No where in the CY Young is there, in writing, “Most Valuable Pitcher,” it’s most outstanding pitcher. Kershaw got rewarded for having an outstanding year and the best among NL pitchers. If it was “Most Valuable Pitcher,” Halladay probably would have won, especially since he got more MVP votes.
pretty sure he was joking.
Well that explains the irrationality. It’s hard to tell on here sometimes.
Either way, I’m sure somebody else is thinking it so I’ll just consider my post as addressing that.
The title of the award is “Most Valuable Player.” Kemp is clearly not the most valuable player if his team was terrible and his ace pitcher won the Cy Young Award. Had the award been “Best Offensive Player,” then Kemp would be deserving.
ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO TELL ME THAT BRIAN SCHNEIDER DIDN’T WIN?
He would of won if he was on the ballot!
Write-in votes.
Are you kidding me? I’m FAR from a Dodgers fan, but how do you not give this to Matt Kemp after the year he just had? Not that Braun is undeserving altogether, but Kemp just had a historic season…
Historic? What was historic about it? What league records did he set or break?
Doesn’t seem fair to Kemp, but it’s undeniable that Braun had a great season as well. The stats say that Kemp had the better year, but this should have been expected anyways so I’m not as disappointed as I would have been if I were to actually expect the BBWAA to do the right thing and give Kemp the award.
Hebrew Hammer strikes again!
This is a good point…forgot about that.
I’m not surprised by this whatsoever.
I guess we got our answer. Team context counts. And for a lot.
Ryan Braun > Matt Kemp
Nope
Kemp hits 40 one year and he’s the best in the game?
Kemp is the better choice since he plays a prime defensive position, and put up the higher fWAR. If Braun played all 162 games, he would have had an 8.42 fWAR, still behind Kemp’s 8.7 in 161 games (8.75 in 162). WAR isn’t everything, but it is usually a concluding statistic to go on, especially in MVP discussion.
Never said he was the best in the game. Thinks for insinsuating though
not even a Dodgers fan, but i disagree
Kemp almost won the Triple Crown and kept a lousy Dodgers team over .500 but that’s not enough for the MVP? Good for Mr. Braun but he had one of the most feared hitters in baseball protecting him while Kemp had James Loney.
Protection is not…………oh forget it.
yeah keyword ALMOST
WOW. I thought for sure it was going to be Kemp.. But Congrats to Braun!
Ya I think a few voters felt sorry for him.
(null) sandwich?
And Roy Halladay ends up getting more MVP votes than Clayton Kershaw. Odd…weren’t these the same people who voted for Cy Young?
Different award, different criteria.
The true definition of “valuable” is obviously debatable, but I have a hard time understanding how, if Player A had a better season than Player B (according to the voting of the BBWA), Player B can somehow be more valuable than Player A.
This has been discussed ad-nauseum. Its not just stats but whether your team found your contributions “valuable”. The Dodgers could have missed the playoffs even without Kershaw.
And the Phillies could have made the playoffs without Halladay. What’s your point?
I doubt the Dodgers feel like Kershaw’s performance wasn’t valuable.
Whatever, I know this a lost argument, I just find it interesting that the criteria of “Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense
and defense,” gets turned into something that seems to value a player’s teammates over the player himself.
Debatable. Cliff Lee was inconsistant most of the year, Hamels went on the DL, Oswalt went on the DL, Joe Blanton went on the DL, the rotation could have possibly been Cliff Lee, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick, AAA guy, AAA guy in August. Add into that, it’s more wear and tear on the arms of Madson and the rest of the bullpen.
You can use WAR and say that, but I don’t think its the only way to evaluate value.
No, each writer in the BBWAA only gets to vote on one award per year.
And as I said yesterday, MVP doesn’t mean Best Statistical Hitter. It means Most Valuable Player.
Cy Young, now that’s Best Statistical Pitcher, no context necessary. Just figure out who did the best at pitching, you’re good to go.
Most Valuable Player has 6 criteria to consider, which has more contextual value in terms of how well that person did as a teammate in a team’s game, than the Cy Young does in terms of how well that person did as an individual. Stats are 1/6 of the MVP, Stats are the whole Cy Young.
Makes a big difference, but most people on the internet have no idea.
Exactly right.
Statisically, Kemp was better.
As far as who was more valuable, well that’s more debatable.
I don’t have a problem whatsoever with Braun winning it.
Defense probably was a factor
They are both are lousy outfielders, but I’d take Kemp there because he can at least stand in CF.
Kemp is a “lousy outfielder” with a Gold Glove. Two in fact. Go figure. And before you tell me that the Gold Glove award is meaningless, I will remind you that this thread is about the MVP award.
Gold gloves are a joke. Use the fielders bible.
Then MVP awards must be a joke too, which has to make you wonder why they generate so much discussion.
in a sport which has Jim Rice in the Hall of Fame, where the best player in the National League isn’t the most “valuable” because his teammates didn’t pull through and make the playoffs, and where rafael palmeiro wins a gold glove – pretty much every award is a joke.
Fundamentally you are conflating the opinions of fans and sportswriters, and saying that neither of them know the first thing about the game. So I guess you have it all covered, though I have a feeling that you conveniently exclude yourself from that condemnation.
Kemp runs the most circuitous routes to the ball I have ever seen. Gold Gloves are a joke buddy, and I was only bringing that up in this thread because I disagreed with with Tony and think Kemp is a better defensive player than Braun. Still, it’s not a secret that both players could improve significantly in the outfield.
I guess I need to remind you that baseball is still actually a game, not a science. These awards are based on collective opinions. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but that does not turn everyone else’s opinion into a joke.
I believe Kemp should have won, but don’t necessarily fault the voters choosing Braun. Upton getting a first place vote is laughable, he wasn’t even in the top ten in OPS.
upton carried his team with far less lineup protection than the others had though. maybe next year j-up!
Ya you can.. its happened before and is within the rules
I know that can but it makes no sense. Why should a losing team represent the MVP of the league?
Because for the Brewers or any team to make the playoffs, you need more than one outstanding performance from one player. It’s a team effort. Ryan Braun’s performance was great, but is he in the playoffs without Grenkie? Without Gallardo? Without Prince Fielder? Without Corey Hart? Without John Axford? Is he as valuable without those guys?
Can’t give MVP to a player on a losing team because they would still be a losing team without him
I said this below:
And why not? This is the logic that MLB Network had: If you were a GM and had to pick one player to fill a roster spot, knowing that he would repeat the exact same year he would have, who would it be?
It’s a no-brainer. It would be Kemp, because he was the most VALUABLE player in the NL in 2011. There’s no contention-recognition in the description of the award.
MVP should go to the best player in the league. Not the best player on a playoff team.
The team makes the playoffs, not an individual. Take out Jeff Niemann of the Rays and his 1.5 fWAR and put in a replacement level player, the Rays all of a sudden miss the playoffs. Take out Verlander’s 7.0 fWAR, and the Tigers still make the playoffs with ease.
Goes to show that an individual’s massive success isn’t end all be all for making the playoffs, and Bautista got hosed in the AL, much like Kemp did here.
What I’d like to know is how Roy Halladay got 52 points but Clayton Kershaw only got 29. Kershaw is the better pitcher, but Halladay is the better player?
He played for a better team. Teams count for MVP, is that not clear?
Which is one of the dumbest arguments someone can make. Just because a guys team is bad doesn’t make that player any less VALUABLE!
Sorry, I guess I was thrown off by the name of the award.
I think it is clear. I just think some people don’t agree with the fact that the team’s success, or lack thereof, should be taken into consideration.
“Congratulations to Ryan Braun for having better teammates.”
Carlos Ruiz got a vote! Awesome
And Yadi got 2. 0 for McCann. Yes!
Ryan Braun is a beast
So its ok to give the Cy Young to a pitcher on a non-contender but to give the MVP to a player on the same team isn’t?
Matt Kemp’s WAR was 10! TEN!
Braun’s 7.7.
With this and these aweful new CBA rules this has been a REAL crappy day for baseball.
You are 100% right, a guy with a 7.7 WAR (WAR being the only stat that matters in baseball) doesn’t deserve it.
I am being sarcastic.
Its the stat that best compares player VALUE.
Valuable is literally in the title of the award.
Punishing him because his team sucks is beyond stupid.
Prince Fielder getting a few of the votes AHEAD of Braun proves my point.
It may be the best stat to determine value but even the people that calculate it don’t think its the only way to evaluate true value.
Well you certainly put a lot of words in my mouth there. Regardless I can’t take you seriously when you say Ryan Braun winning the award equates to, quote, a bad day for baseball.
In terms of your other point, which you believe I said, good players make other players around them better. Its not like the Brewers have the best offense in baseball and Braun was just another piece on it.
Did Kemp deserve it, sure. Did Braun deserve it, sure.
So why do you think the entire sport of baseball has suffered from this?
There is a difference. CY Young is the BEST pitcher. MVP is for the Most VALUABLE Player. Non play off teams should never be awarded the MVP.
And why not? This is the logic that MLB Network had: If you were a GM and had to pick one player to fill a roster spot, knowing that he would repeat the exact same year he just had, who would it be?
It’s a no-brainer. It would be Kemp, because he was the most VALUABLE player in the NL in 2011. There’s no contention-recognition in the description of the award.
Matt Kemp deserved the Hank Aaron Award (which he won), not the MVP. You have to play meaningful baseball games to win the MVP imo.
… and Ryan Braun isn’t playing meaningful baseball games without Prince Fielder, Zack Grenkie, Yovani Gallardo, Shaun Marcum, Randy Wolf, Corey Hart, etc.
It isn’t called the “individual achievement award.”
The fWAR difference is only 1 win. And one team was a playoff team and the other one was not.
I’m not as against this one as I was yesterday.
But I do think Kemp put up a better season and if you were to switch Kemp and Braun then Kemp would have won. I really think Braun got the edge because of perception.
Braun getting the award is long overdue. Great job and congrats. I think its a great pick.
I’m a little surprised Kemp didn’t win, Braun did have a solid year but I thought Kemp’s numbers were better overall. Kemp put up great stats on a bad team this past year, imagine what they might have been on a good team.
Braun is the better player; I’d rather have him hands down over Kemp and, I would imagine, most general managers and fans would, but Kemp was better in 2011.
I should clarify, Braun has been historically more consistent, and has been a run producer throughout his career. The only year he didn’t drive in 100 runs was 2007 when he had 97 RBIs, 34 HRS, and a 1.004 OPS in 113 games, after posting 10 HRS and 22 RBIs in AAA earlier that year. I think he’s now the best hitter in the NL, maybe in all of baseball? But I do think Kemp had the better year in 2011, except if you look at OPS, which Braun won.
Anyways, the Dodgers suck!!!! No excuse for them having the best pitcher and arguably the best player in the league, and yet surrounding those guys with a terrible supporting cast. McCourt should be drawn and quartered and then his remains hung outside in the middle of Chavez Ravine, outside Dodger Stadium.
To be fair the Dodgers finished the 2nd half quite well. After the All-Star Break they went 41-28. Extrapolate that over 162 games and you get 96 wins. That is no small sample size either. The Dodgers SUCKED in the first half, and went 7-8 in July after the All-Star break, but beyond that, they actually played well enough to pull themselves out of the crapper in the West.
The award was for 2011. So much for that argument.
I am highly disappointed that John Axford got more throwaway votes than Craig Kimbrel. I demand a recount.
Gold glove in CF, silver slugger, two out of the three triple crown stats.
Kemp should go kick McCourt in the groin asap.
I am not arguing Braun over Kemp or vice versa but using the Gold Glove as a determining factor for who is better ruins your whole argument.
This should be Kemp’s award. 1 homer shy of a 40-40 season? Bananas. But I’m a little biased.
I know I’m biased but I mean if A-rod can win it on a last place Rangers team Kemp should be able to win on a .500 LA team. Kemp was the only reason they were remotely respectable this year while the Brewers probably still would have made the playoffs without Braun
You may be biased but you are right. Bruan had a fine season and I will listen to anyone that wants to make an argument for him besides “You should have to be on a playoff team to win MVP”
That is a terrible argument. It’s an individual award for the most valuable PLAYER. Which was clearly Matt Kemp. The award isn’t Most Valuable Player that Plays for a Playoff Team(Otherwise known as the MVPtPfaPT award)
There’s no value to a team that did nothing this season. I don’t understand why that’s so difficult to comprehend.
Every team’s goal is the make the playoffs and win the World Series. How much did he help them achieve that goal when they didn’t even get close to making it?
“There’s no value to a team that did nothing this season.”
Really? How many less fans do the Dodgers draw if Matt Kemp didn’t just put up a crazy season. How much VALUE do you think he adds to the Dodgers franchise with it being for sale, coming off the kind of year he just had? Every player has a value and Kemp’s was much greater than Braun’s in 2011.
In that case, I can’t believe Braun failed the Brewers like he did in the playoffs. I guess he isn’t so valuable after all since he couldn’t win them the World Series.
Kemp was just shy of the triple crown !!! It just shows it does matter how your team does overall no matter how good your season was.
Congrads to both Kemp and Braun on great seasons.
This is a disgrace! Kemp was the Mvp. Played every game. Was close to the triple crown. He is a better defender. We will see how Braun does without Fielder protecting him next year. If a team making the playoffs matters, protection should just as much! Braun himself know
s who the true MVP is.
This is a disgrace! Kemp was the Mvp. Played every game. Was close to the triple crown. He is a better defender. We will see how Braun does without Fielder protecting him next year. If a team making the playoffs matters, protection should just as much! Braun himself know
s who the true MVP is.
Nice to see Mikey Morse get a vote!!!!
Just throwing this out there, but if you have faith in “WAR” as a stat, then Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Kemp were the most valuable players this year.
Verlander and Braun were both right up there, though.
Still waiting on the absurdly late April Fools joke…
This is not surprising. Sports writers opinion is as valid a movie critics opinion. Kemp had had a far superior season. He was voted player of the year by Baseball America and by his peers via Players Choice. Truthfully, the Players Choice should mean more because it’s the guys who play against you and with you who vote. It’s obvious to everyone but the writers who had a better year.
How many pressure at bats did Kemp have all season where it really meant
something? The answer is, exactly the same as Bautista had in Toronto,
and that’s why neither of them is a MVP. In the middle of a pennant
race, Braun was the NL player of the month for September.
I would
have been fine if Kemp had won, but as long as there is the ambiguity
attached to the “valuable” part of MVP (as opposed to say most
outstanding player), then the voting is going to be open to individual
interpretation.
If Kemp had the protection that Braun had in Fielder, Kemp would’ve had better numbers (although his numbers were amazing). Still they were better than Braun’s. Defensively, not even close. So MVP awards are for players who have more talent around them? Sad criteria.
Not to mention Braun playing in a hitter’s park often against relatively poor NL Central pitching…
Stats are virtually equal, kemp had more HR’s/RBI’s but Braun had more everything else. maybe if Kemp wouldn’t have struck out 66 more times than Braun the MVP would be on his mantle instead.
If Kemp had decent players around him he would have knocked in more and been knocked in more often and would have been in contention yet he still managed over 100 for both runs and rbi…..the 2nd place in runs and rbi was Ethier who had 1/2 of what Kemp had…
I don’t think Kemp actually cares b/c he got the real MVP award…..$160m
look at OPS+. Its adjusted OPS, it paints a different picture
*sigh*
It’s a shame Bautista/Ellsbury and Kemp lost their MVP awards simply because their teams didn’t make the playoffs.
Can somebody else other than the clueless writers association pick the MVP’s because this is terrible.
Braun had more pressure at bats in the month of September where it really meant something to his team than Kemp had all year. Kemp could swing for the fences anytime he wanted, whereas Braun had to hit behind runners and hit in situations where the Brewers had to have a win to hold off first St. Louis for the division, and then Arizona for home field.
Are all Cards fans over 60? i thought baseball was a sport and aren’t sports supposed to be fun? the cards are too busy bitching and crying about everything to be have fun. fans included.
Brandon Phillips? Is that you?
Pretty sure your comment is nothing but bitching.
The only reason Braun won it, was the Brewers making the playoffs. Kemp has better numbers and is a better outfielder.
Cabrera is miles better player than Hamilton, just sayin.
Not so since Cabrera can’t even field.
Ryan Howard finished in the top 10 in voting this year. Let that sink in for a moment.
oh yes
lol @ whoever thinks if Braun wasn’t on the Brew they would’ve not made the playoffs. They still have Fielder, Hart, Weeks, Morgan and McGeehee? IN MILLER PARK. You tell me how you can’t make the playoffs with that lineup. Who did Kemp have? James Loney? Marcus Thames? JUan Uribe? LOL Matt Kemp had ZERO protection in his lineup whereas Braun could sit and Hart could come in and do just as well. I find this Award to Braun to be HILARIOUS. Matt Kemp carried the team. Best CFer in baseball and it’s not even close. WhaT? Does his UZR say otherwise? lmao gtfo. Matt KEMvP! Screwed.
Not only did Kemp put up superior numbers to Braun in almost every category (HR, RBI, runs, hits, SB, BB, OBP), but also:
– He played superior defense at a more difficult position.
– He started every single game of the season.
– He played in home park that tends to favor pitchers, instead of the hitter’s stadium that is Miller Park.
– He more often faced the superior pitching of the NL West as opposed to the below average pitching in the NL Central. San Francisco’s top 4 starters (Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Vogelsong) all had ERAs under 3.25. Arizona’s top 4 starters (Hudson, Kennedy, Saunders, Collmenter) all had ERAs under 3.70. San Diego’s top 5 starters (Latos, Stauffer, Harang, Moseley) all had ERAs under 3.75. Colorado was the only divisional team with poor pitching. The Brewers only had one division rival that had a solid pitching staff (the Cardinals).
Kemp was robbed.
I am going to point out something that a lot of you are forgetting. The award is for NL MVP not dodgers ,brewers or any other team, looking at that Kemp should have won it, since he did more for the league than any of the others he carried a team all by himself and kept the fans interested in watching the dodgers.
Lol he was more valuable to the league cuz he hit all those clutch hits and created great drama down the stretch for the league. He carried a team all by himself…Didnt he have the Cy young on his team? And where did he carry em!? To their couches in October to watch Braun play?
kemp should have been the mvp.theonly reason he did not get the award was cuz the dodgers did not reach the playoffs.with the season he had he deserved getting the award.
Argue all you want but Braun had the superior OPS, more XBH, a better sb%, and a lot less K’s while playing Mr. clutch for a playoff team all season long. That’s just how it works, you will be more memorable with meaningful clutch situations in your belt. Kemp broke no records albeit in a very, very impressive season but the guy that sticks in people’s mind more is Braun.
I’m actually ok with Braun winning. Howard getting a vote though is laughable.
I also got a problem with a pitcher been the MVP. I am a yankee fan an I dont like Boston but Jacoby should have won it he had the better season than any other player in the american league and he did it in over a 150 games not just 34 to 35
Kemp should’ve won.. nbd though, I didn’t have a horse in this race.. Well I did, but he finished 19th
fangraphs has braun as the slightly better hitter (.332/.397/.597 vs. .324/.399/.586, braun also had higher wOBA and wRC+), both are similarly bad on defense, kemp posted higher WAR cause of positional adjustment i guess.
its a pretty ambiguous debate, but not a completely horrible choice to go with braun. its not like bautista or ellsbury getting snubbed in the AL.
I agree. I think it’s close. I’m a Brewers fan, so I’m happy Braun won. I would’ve completely understood if Kemp had though.
Who cares!!! He got the award and kemp didnt. Congratulations to Braun, hes been great ever since coming into the league.
I can’t wait until he does not have Fielder behind him. Only a moronic Brewers fan would think this is correct. Of course, we are talking about the morons in Milwaukee who do not understand basic math.
I dont see why people care so much about these individual awards. They mean nothing at all. I dont understand why people love to argue about who deserved what more. Who cares?!?! The only award that matters is the World Series Championship!
By Baseball Reference WAR, Kemp is a 10 WAR, Braun is a 7.7 WAR. That’s basically the difference between Adrian Gonzalez and Nyjer Morgan or – roughly 1 2011 Alex Rodriguez. I can see debating who’s on a winning team or the value of said WAR if they were – like the AL candidate were – 1 WAR apart or closer. But a spread of 3 is gigantic and making the debate almost useless. Essentially, Dustin Pedroia was a 5.2 WAR in 2008 when he won the AL MVP. Kemp’s value was almost twice that.
We can debate the merits of BR WAR all we want, but still – yikes.
Yes, we CAN debate the merits of BR WAR, because it isn’t even in the ballpark (so to speak) of the other WAR numbers I’ve seen (Kemp 8.7, Braun 7.8).
YEAH! Braun only won because he had Fielder behind him! The same way Justin Upton puts up big numbers just because he has Stephen Drew and his 34 RBIs batting behind him! All sarcasm aside, it could have gone to either player. Congrats to both on the big seasons they had.
Without Braun, the Brewers are still a respectable team with a great rotation and solid lineup that most likely would have made the playoffs.
Without Kemp, the Dodgers are… let’s not go there… -_-
With the ownership situation, financial problems, and little to no protection, Kemp should have taken this award.
This is robbery.
If the people who voted for Braun are basing this off of “value to the team,” then by all means Kemp has Braun beaten.
I would have voted for Braun. Kemp coulf have hit 100 hr and I wouldnt have voted for him.
Braun won the MVP because he had Fielder, Grenike, Marcum, Weeks, Axford, Gallardo and KROD on his team?
Because he was surrounded by elite talent?
The way Jose Bautista got robbed, I’m suprised Kershaw or Halladay didn’t win the MVP since they pitched as good as Verlander did.
Please get new voters next year..
LMAO.. no such thing as lineup protection? Look at the number of IBBs between Kemp and Braun
Ummm …..you really got me there.
Braun had 2 intentional base on balls this season.
Kemp had 24…
Well I guess that settles it then. I was wrong all along. ??????
In Brewers Wins, Ryan Braun hit .376/.446/.710 with 26 HR, 89 RBI.
In Dodgers Wins, Matt Kemp hit .348/.437/.671 with 26 HR and 86 RBI.
Braun obviously did more for his team during the wins. Which is probably why they won more games. Simple as that.
I love how people think this wasn’t even close. That Kemp was overwhelmingly better. He was better. But it was a lot closer than people are making it out to be.
If protection is so important, how come Brauns on base percentage is only 2 points less than Kemp. Braun also played 12 less games and had 40 less AB’s