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From: jhr2@houem.UUCP (J.ROSENBLUTH)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Pitcher as MVP?
Message-ID: <370@houem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Sep-85 16:00:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: houem.370
Posted: Tue Sep  3 16:00:43 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Sep-85 06:56:03 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 29


 	  > I don't think any pitcher deserves to win the MVP.
       > That is why God created Cy Young. If you can give it to a pitcher
       > who a pitcher who helps your team win 25 games or so, why not
       > give it to a pinch-hitter who bats .385 during the season,
       > coming up with a timely hit every few games. Don't get me wrong,
       > Gooden is an absolute marvel ( 20-3, in two of his three losses,
       > he was pulled only to have the reliever credit Gooden with the loss),
       > but I think the MVP is for daily players not part-timers.

I think a list of MVP candidates could be drawn up from the following:

Pretend that each player is replaced with an average player at the same
position.  Estimate how much difference in Wins and Losses would result.
MVP candidates would have the largest positive effect.

Now, Gooden is 20-4 as of now.  An average pitcher with the Met offense
would be about 13-11 (???).  So Dwight is about 7 games to the good.
That strikes me as a lot of games.  I find it hard to believe that any
of the other candidates makes much more than a 7 game difference.
I think pitchers can be MVPs, Dwight is a legitimate candidate, the Mets
best, and might just win it if the Mets overtake the Redbirds.
There is no way a pinch hitter makes a 7 game difference.

As of today, I'd choose Guerrero.  He's got the best bat in the league,
his team is winning and started doing so when he started hitting.
And his low RBI total?  Yeah, that dampens my enthusiam.  It could
be due to the rest of the team not being on base, or his hitting with
men on base. But even if it's the latter, the Dodgers just keep on winning.