Pujols Vs. The Padres
We're about a week into the season and Albert Pujols has a comfortable lead over the San Diego Padres. What am I talking about? Well, I'm going to track Albert's homers vs. the total number of stolen bases for the entire Padres roster this season. As of this post, it's Pujols 3 Padres 1.
Just for kicks I'm also going to track the Padres vs. Pujols' teammate, Ryan Ludwick. It appears as though Ludwick is platooning so far this year but that doesn't really matter. In that race it's Ludwick 2 Padres 1.
This guy is a freaking monster...
He was hurt last year and still put up MVP numbers.
He has the MVP locked up already this year as far as I'm concerned...Manny running a distant second place.
Reply to this
What about David Eckstein? Did you forget about Eck? As far as I'm concerned it's a three man race with little David losing by a hair to Puhols when it's all said and done.
The Padres are off to a very good start but now they hit the road and I still don't think they will win more than 70 games...
Reply to this
Pujols "has the MVP locked up already this year"? I thought only the SDSG was prone to such ridiculous hyperbole. Pujols is great. Manny is great. Fielder is great. Utley is great. The list can go on and on. If Pujols plays as well as he is capable of playing, he certainly could win it. But even Michael Jordan didn't win the NBA's MVP award in every season that the Bulls were dominant. Other players can have great seasons, and if they are on teams that weren't expected to contend, those players can have a huge edge when it comes to the voting. All of the players I list above are capable of hitting 40+ HRs for a playoff team. There are no preseason MVP "locks".
Reply to this
You make some valid points Tom, but Kenneth is right about Pujols being a monster. He can certainly speak for himself, but I agree that AP will be the NL MVP barring injury. If not, then it's likely going to be Manny. I'll tell you what, I'll take those two and you can have the field (Howard, Utley, H. Ramirez, Fielder etc.). I'll think about a suitable wager...
p.s. LeBron was a preseason NBA MVP lock barring injury this year and will win it going away. Wade made things interesting for a month or two, but King James kicked it into another gear down the stretch
Reply to this
Tom,
Normally...I would agree, but Pujols is playing in another league right now.
And based on what Manny did in the final stretch of last season...He has to be in the conversation.
SDSG,
You are right...James has the MVP. One loss at home all season....plus he will probably have the best record in the NBA while locking up home field throughout the playoffs.
D-Wade gave him a run for his money, but sorry, maybe next year.
Reply to this
To SDSG and Kenneth -- your replies to my post are nonsensical.
SDSG agreed with Kenneth and said "I agree that AP will be the NL MVP barring injury." Then, to prove his point, SDSG says that he'll take Pujols AND Manny and give me the field in an MVP bet. Aren't you making precisely my point with that wager? You need to add the biggest preseason threat to Pujols to make the bet, and take that threat away from my side of the wager? Sounds like you agree with me.
And Kenneth does the same thing. He responds with "Normally...I would agree, but Pujols is playing in another league right now." But then he also adds "And based on what Manny did in the final stretch of last season...He has to be in the conversation." Again, isn't that precisely my point? Pujols is no lock to win the MVP, even if he is the best all-around hitter in the NL right now. There are other players who could beat him for the MVP, and SDSG's and Kenneth's acknowledgement of Manny makes my point.
We're one week into the season. There will be other contenders as well. There's no such thing as a lock to win an MVP award, even for a player as great as Pujols.
Reply to this
If AP avoids a serious injury and plays at least 140 games then he is a lock for the NL MVP...just like LeBron was a pre-season lock for the NBA MVP (barring serious injury) this year. It's really that simple.
I just took Manny as a hedge against an injury to Pujols. I can certainly leave him out of the wager completely and only insert a qualifier that Pujols needs to play 140 games. Are you ready to make that bet, Tom?
If so, all I ask is that you write a guest post in October saying that the SDSG and Kenneth were spot on and you were wrong. What do you say?
p.s. I appreciate your comments even if you decide not to accept the bet. I always enjoy a spirited debate!
Reply to this
"Hedging" your Pujols' lock for MVP bet by adding Manny is like "hedging" a LeBron for MVP bet by taking Kobe or Wade. That's not a "hedge". That's betting on all the favorites. We should start calling you Obama!
I'm happy to make a bet where I get the field against Pujols. But for what it's worth, I do agree that Pujols is the best hitter in the NL. I just disagree that anyone can be a lock for MVP after a week. If the Cubs win the division (which I think they well), winning MVP becomes an uphill climb for Pujols. He won it last year despite being on a non-playoff team, but that won't happen two years in a row. Frankly, if Manny had played a full season for the Dodgers, he would have won MVP by a landslide because the Dodgers made the playoffs. The non-playoff thing could be a problem for Pujols, as could a career-best season by any number of NL players.
Reply to this
Obama...good one! I guess I'll have to start all of my posts with the word look...
You make some very good points, Tom. In fact, the comments that you and Kenneth made during the past couple of days helped convince me to make a very important career decision. Be sure to check back for a post about it tomorrow morning...
Reply to this
Do love your way of telling us your stories!
Thanks for the post and sharing your feelings and ideas just for free.
Love ur creativity also so much!
Holiday homes
Reply to this
Very amusing thought, well told, just do everything laid out on the shelves:)
Reply to this