Rob Neyer goes cuckoo for Jeter Puffs
I like Rob Neyer. I really do. He usually writes interesting articles with a wealth of information to solidy his points. However, ever since he went cuckoo for Jeter puffs, it seems that his "rock-solid" reasoning has disappeared. In response to Rob, declaring that Derek Jeter is a legitimate MVP candidate, if not the winner, I offer you the following reasons why Derek Jeter is NOT the mvp.
1) His 1999 season was better statistically than his 2006 season and he finished 6th that year in MVP voting. In fact, Jeter led all of basebal in VORP in '99 and OPS'ed .990 (granted, his VORP is inflated because the calculation doesn't include defensive quality, but still). This year Jeter is 2nd in the AL (and 4th overall) in VORP and OPS'ed .900. Was anyone lobbying for Jeter for MVP in '99? Didn't think so. Should he have finished higher than 6th in '99? Probably. But, I'm still waiting for someone to answer how he is now the AL MVP when he has worse stats than in '99 and plays in a much better lineup now than he did in '99.
2) He hits in a lineup with 8 other all-stars and 2 former MVPs. So I'd say it's a lot easier to put up his numbers in that lineup than say David Oritz who has 2 all-stars and 0 MVP's protecting him. Ditto for Justin Morneau, so excuse me if I discount Jeter's offensive stats (which aren't even that great to begin with). I just don't see how 1 All-Star out of 9 can really contribute that much more or be that much "more valuable" than the other 8 All-Stars (especially when this particular All-Star plays poor defense and only has an OPS+ of 138).
3) Would the Yankees win withough Jeter? Yes, they would and we have proof of this in 2003 when he missed the first month of the season and the Yanks started 26-11 (just like the Yankees continued to win this year without Sheffield and Matsui). Would the Red Sox win without Ortiz? They would, but nowhere near as much, and his 13 GW RBI's (along with 8-9 and 4 BB's in game winning situations the last 2-3 years) pretty much prove that. The Twins without Morneau? I don't know but all I have to say is I have him on my fantasy team and almost every single night he has a hit, walk, run, or RBI. (11/9/2006)---To further expand on this point, I offer you the video evidence of Steve Phillips who compares Jeter vs Morneau in BA, HR, RBI, Runs in their respective teams Wins vs Losses. ----back to the rest of the article.
I'll admit that I'm not a Yankee fan or Jeter fan, but I don't see how someone can objectively look at this situation and consider Jeter the frontrunner. Because when it all comes down to it, is Jeter the reason the Yankees win? No, the Yankees win because they have a $150 million lineup with 9 all-stars, 2 former MVP's, over 450 combined wins on the mound (including 18 Quality Starts from their #3 starter), and probably the best closer of all time.
1) His 1999 season was better statistically than his 2006 season and he finished 6th that year in MVP voting. In fact, Jeter led all of basebal in VORP in '99 and OPS'ed .990 (granted, his VORP is inflated because the calculation doesn't include defensive quality, but still). This year Jeter is 2nd in the AL (and 4th overall) in VORP and OPS'ed .900. Was anyone lobbying for Jeter for MVP in '99? Didn't think so. Should he have finished higher than 6th in '99? Probably. But, I'm still waiting for someone to answer how he is now the AL MVP when he has worse stats than in '99 and plays in a much better lineup now than he did in '99.
2) He hits in a lineup with 8 other all-stars and 2 former MVPs. So I'd say it's a lot easier to put up his numbers in that lineup than say David Oritz who has 2 all-stars and 0 MVP's protecting him. Ditto for Justin Morneau, so excuse me if I discount Jeter's offensive stats (which aren't even that great to begin with). I just don't see how 1 All-Star out of 9 can really contribute that much more or be that much "more valuable" than the other 8 All-Stars (especially when this particular All-Star plays poor defense and only has an OPS+ of 138).
3) Would the Yankees win withough Jeter? Yes, they would and we have proof of this in 2003 when he missed the first month of the season and the Yanks started 26-11 (just like the Yankees continued to win this year without Sheffield and Matsui). Would the Red Sox win without Ortiz? They would, but nowhere near as much, and his 13 GW RBI's (along with 8-9 and 4 BB's in game winning situations the last 2-3 years) pretty much prove that. The Twins without Morneau? I don't know but all I have to say is I have him on my fantasy team and almost every single night he has a hit, walk, run, or RBI. (11/9/2006)---To further expand on this point, I offer you the video evidence of Steve Phillips who compares Jeter vs Morneau in BA, HR, RBI, Runs in their respective teams Wins vs Losses. ----back to the rest of the article.
I'll admit that I'm not a Yankee fan or Jeter fan, but I don't see how someone can objectively look at this situation and consider Jeter the frontrunner. Because when it all comes down to it, is Jeter the reason the Yankees win? No, the Yankees win because they have a $150 million lineup with 9 all-stars, 2 former MVP's, over 450 combined wins on the mound (including 18 Quality Starts from their #3 starter), and probably the best closer of all time.
posted by RealBBBB at 10:57 PM
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