BBA 2009 AL MVP Ballot

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Warning: most of this ballot is going to surprise you. How do I know, because it surprised me! You see, I didn’t just use my eyes or even the traditional method/statistics to make up this ballot.

I used 11 statistical categories including defensive metrics & added some objective weight to some of them (multiplied them by either 10, 100 or 1000) in order to make them more relevant and useful. For example, I multiplied Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) and Range Factor per Game (RF/G) by 10; Walk to Strikeout Ratio (BB/K) by 100; and Batting Average (AVE), On Base Percentage (OBP) and Fielding Percentage (FP) by 1000. Add to these were the counting stats such as Runs (R), Homeruns (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB) and Runs Created (RC) based upon weighted On Base Average (wOBA) or simply wRC as found on Fangraphs.com.

So as you can see, I didn’t exactly set this up to provide a traditional selection of players and in fact, some of these guys wouldn’t even have made my top 15!

10) Franklin Gutierrez CF Seattle Mariners…1 point

What gets Gutierrez on this list is his ungodly UZR of 28.5 which was almost 10 points higher than the next rated player. In fact, I read somewhere that his power numbers were even down this year!

9) Kevin Youkilis 1B/3B Boston Red Sox…2 points

Forget about the fact that he played significant time at both first and third base (78 and 63), but he also played two games in LF, too. But none of this factored into this listing! The stats that got him onto this list were his RF/G of 7.9, his FP of .998, OBP of .413 and his runs scored of 99 and 94 RBI on 27 HR and 111.7 runs created.

8) Chone Figgins 3B Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim…3 points

A UZR of 14.5, .395 OBP with 42 SB and 114 runs scored with 105.1 runs created contributed to Chone’s listing here. I would not have added Figgins even to my top 20.

7) Carl Crawford LF Tampa Bay Rays…4 points

60 SB with 96 runs scored 101.6 runs created combined with a .988 FP and a UZR of 17.1 are what got Crawford here.

6) Evan Longoria 3B Tampa Bay Rays…5 points

Tampa Bay scored the most players on this list with Evan “The Beast” Longoria stuck here in the middle. In only his second season he has impressive numbers starting off with the second highest UZR with 18.9, 108.7 runs created with 100 runs scored, 33 HR and 113 RBIs. 

5) Derek Jeter SS New York Yankees…6 points

With a FP of .986, runs created of 122.4 (for third on this list of the top 10) with 107 runs scored to go with a .406 OBP and 30 SB lead the Yankees captain onto this list.

4) Miguel Cabrera 1B Detroit Tigers…7 points

Believe it or not, Cabrera’s defense has a significant part to play in his being 4th on this list with a .995 FP and an 8.6 RF/G. Then add to that his 96 runs scored, 123.5 runs created, an AVE of .324, OBP of .396 to go along with 34 HR and 103 RBI.

3) Dustin Pedroia 2B Boston Red Sox…8 points

Here’s another player who I wouldn’t have even thought about for this list with his diminished numbers compared to last year and I’m a big Pedroia fan! But his numbers tell a different story with a UZR of 10.2 and a FP of .991 to go along with his runs created of 103.9 to go with his actual runs scored of 115. Add to that a great BB/K ratio of 1.64 (tops on this list and second in the Majors to only Pujols’ 1.80), .371 OBP and 20 SB do make quite a statement overall.

2) Ben Zobrist 2B/RF Tampa Bay Rays…9 points

Probably the most surprising name on an MVP listing is Zobrist, but this is not the only list I’m seen him towards the top of recently. His versatility should also be considered, but doesn’t factor in here as he can also play other positions than these two. His UZR is 15.6, a FP of .989 to go along with his career year offensively with 111.1 runs created, 27 HR, 91 RBI and runs scored with a .405 OBP.

1) Joe Mauer C/DH Minnesota Twins…14 points

Talk about increased power numbers, Mauer hit a career high 28 HRs! His previos high was 13 back in 2006. As a reminder, the catcher’s position doesn’t get a UZR score so he was at a disadvantage over the other position players on this list and I did not remember to factor that in with a league average! His other numbers are as follows…6.9 RF/G, .996 FP with offensive numbers such as 127.5 runs created, 94 runs scored, 96 RBI and his incredible .365 AVE .444 OBP and 1.21 BB/K ratio (second best on this list). Editor’s note: I stand corrected, as I now see Mauer as the best all around catcher in the game today! I have done my research since an earlier post on The Dugout Doctors. He was my choice no matter how I did this, but I am glad that this analysis proved that idea.

Honorable Mentions in order of appearance…

In my opinion, both of these players would have made my ballot if I had not gone to this much detail or even included defensive statistics. Both had over 30 HR and 100 RBI, a AVE of over .290 and OBP over .355 to go along with runs created over 100, FP over .990 and RF/G over 8.

Mark Teixeira 1B New York Yankees

Kendry Morales 1B Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim