Don't Panic Celtics Fans

A week or two ago on Sportscenter, as the Boston Celtics scuffled out of the gate, ESPN analyst Jalen Rose was asked if he thought the C's were contenders in the NBA East.  Could they make another championship run, or had age finally caught up with them?

He froze for a second to gather his thoughts, to make sure that his response wouldn't create any controversy.  He wouldn't run the risk of stepping on any toes or hurting anybody's feelings.  Rose didn't want to offend anyone.

So once he had mapped out what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it, he answered that he thought the Green were a "dangerous team." Of course he did.  That's what he's supposed to say, isn't it?  In other words, they have ample talent and could go deep into the playoffs if everything breaks right, much like Dallas last year, but nobody is expecting them to hoist an eighteenth championship banner anytime soon.

So even though Rose took the easy way out by giving a neutral answer, he's right.  Despite their panic-inducing 4-8 start, they are still a very dangerous team as long as Paul Pierce, KG, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo can stay healthy.  That's simply too much talent for this team to continue playing at a 22-44 pace.  We knew the compressed schedule would adversely affect older teams, and the Celts definitely fall into that category.  And while the media and fans are freaking out about their record and their current five game losing streak, the longest of the new Big Three era, they forget that the majority of these defeats have been inflicted by great teams.  They've lost to the Heat, Bulls, Mavs, Pacers, Thunder, and Knicks (I know they're six and seven, but any team with Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler is a tough matchup), a formidable group that are a combined 57-25 heading into tonight's action.  They were close games, too, as five of their losses have been by single digit margins.  The only head-scratcher was a blowout 97-78 loss to the 3-10 Hornets on December 28, when Boston looked exhausted after a grueling game with the Heat the night before (and was still without Paul Pierce).  Otherwise, they've won the games they were supposed to win against the sub-.500 Wizards, Pistons, and Nets. 

But I'm not making any excuses at the end of the day; this Celtics squad is still a very flawed team.  The ship has leaks that could send it to the bottom of the Atlantic (Division) if they aren't plugged soon.  Strangely, Boston's once air-tight defense is ranked 21st in the league, but has never rated lower than fifth since the Big Three came together.  Age, Kevin Garnett's continued regression and the departure of Kendrick Perkins are the most likely culprits, but stellar defense is vital to the C's success because they just aren't good enough on offense to compensate.  They can't afford to be an average defensive team--they need to be elite--but I'm not sure that the level of commitment from the 2007-'08 season is still there. 

I am also concerned about the paper-thin bench, a collection of mediocre players (Sasha Pavlovic, Marquis Daniels, Avery Bradley) who aren't capable of holding the line while the starters take their breathers.  They flail on offense and can't make stops on defenseThis team lacks depth, and it's painfully obvious whenever somebody needs to take a night off.  The bench isn't completely useless, though; Brandon Bass fit right in, and Greg Stiemsma has been a pleasant surprise but is probably overachieving.  The unheralded addition of Mickael Pietrus is already paying dividends, too.  But they need swingman Jeff Green, still recuperating from heart surgery, to return to the court and provide the skills he displayed in Oklahoma City.  The current roster needs some repairs, and GM Danny Ainge will definitely do his best to bring in some reinforcements at the trading deadline. 

But that's two months away, and these Celtics are still finding their sea legs.  Pierce, their leader and most potent offensive weapon, missed the abbreviated preseason and is playing his way into game shape.  It's too early to start dangling his name as trade bait, especially since Boston likely won't receive full value in return.  I'm not too worried about their slow first quarters, either.  I think rust has more to do with them than anything else, and believe this trend will fade away as the season progresses and the players hit their stride.  Guys are still rounding into form, and I think we need to give this team another couple weeks before we can make concrete evaluations about where they are headed. 

Boston needs Rondo's youth, energy, and talent more than ever before

I say they'll finish a few games over .500, somewhere around 35-31 record-wise with a five or six seed.  Tonight they face the 4-10 Raptors, who will probably be without their best player Andrea Bargnani, at the Garden.  That sounds like a good place to start on the road to recovery.

My Favorite Red Sox

My favorite Sox players through the years, going back to 1998 when I became a die-hard fan at the age of six.

Mo Vaughn
I have memories of him lumbering down to first base after grounding out, followed by my confusion as to why he wasn't sprinting down the line.  I was devastated when Dan Duquette didn't resign him following the '98 season.  Like Fred Lynn two decades before him, Vaughn wasn't the same player after splitting for California.  Baseball-wise, he was the 90's version of Ortiz, but off the field he was a tad more mischievious.

Nomar Garciaparra
A man crush explained here.  I idolized him the same way the Baby Boomers worshipped Mickey Mantle, and I wanted to be him when I grew up.  I was crushed when Theo traded him, but at the same time understood that he had to go.

The two-time batting champ will always be my favorite Red Sox player

Jason Varitek
Few handled a pitching staff better than 'Tek (Beckett refused to pitch to Victor Martinez), and the team captain was a pretty good switch-hitter back in the day, too.  Varitek is a throwback player who's so old school that he (and his buzz cut) looks like he just arrived from 1955 in Dr. Brown's DeLorean.  The photograph of him stuffing his mitt into Alex Rodriguez's grill during a midseason showdown is the defining image of the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry.

Brian Daubach
I remember him tearing the cover off the ball when he was promoted during the '99 season, and a September swoon adversely affected his still great .294/.360/.562.  The 27 year-old bargain finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting despite competing with a stacked freshman class that included winner Carlos Beltran, Freddy Garcia, Tim Hudson, Carlos Lee, and teammate Trot Nixon.  He was a solid, consistent first baseman in the same mold as Trot who could be counted on for 20 homers and decent on-base figures, but after Epstein got Ortiz and Jeremy Giambi there just wasn't any room for him.  I could have sworn he had some killer sideburns, but can't find any photographic evidence to prove it.  I must be thinking of his doppleganger Nick Swisher.

Trot Nixon
A tough, gritty player who loved pine tar more than George Brett and always seemed to save his best for the Yankees, especially Roger Clemens.  The stats (.246/.350/.406 against New York) don't back this up, so I guess I have a selective memory.  Trot, the epitome of a classic Red Sox player in that he could mash but was too slow to do anything else, broke down after he turned 30 and was never the same.

Tim Wakefield
Popular player, great teammate and one of the rare starting pitchers who make their livings off the fluttering knuckleball.  Not even Aaron Boone belting a series-ending homer into the bleachers at the Stadium in '03 could turn the fans against Wake.  He's always done the dirty work of a back end rotation filler/innings eater, so it was great to see him get his 200th career win with the Red Sox, who gave him a chance in 1995 after the Pirates gave up on him. 

Ortiz is always smiling

David Ortiz
The only thing bigger than his hits is his grin, which stretches from Beantown to the Dominican Republic.  I will always have a special place in my heart for the Big Papi, the lovable teddy bear of a slugger who dismantled the Evil Empire with his walk-off hits and flair for the dramatic.  It's easy to forget now, but he was widely considered to be one of the best hitters in baseball along with Albert Pujols and A-Rod in the mid-aughts.  With the game on the line, this burly slugger is the man I want up at the plate.



Mike Lowell
Classy guy and consummate professional who resurrected his careerin Boston after everyone thought he was washed up.  He thrived in Fenway, and I'm sure taking aim the Green Monster helped extend his career.  I was in the grandstand for Mike Lowell appreciation day on the penultimate day of the 2010 season, and the farewell ceremony was a fitting tribute to the team's best third baseman since Wade Boggs.

Jon Lester
The guy came back from cancer to finish off a sweep of the Rockies in the 2007 Fall Classic, and now he's one of the best pitchers in baseball.  How many players can say that?  Forget Josh Beckett; Lester is the ace and workhorse of this team, a la Curt Schilling surpassing Pedro Martinez in 2004.  He's a bulldog who wants to finish what he starts.

Kevin Youkilis
I can see why Billy Beane and Paul DePodesta wanted this guy on their team so badly.  Love his attitude; he treats an afternoon game in May like it's Game 7 of the World Series, and every at-bat is life-or-death to him.  He's a gamer who wears his heart on his sleeve, and I think he dies a little inside every time he strikes out with runners on base, and it's nice to see some emotion before J.D. Drew passively takes a called third strike to end the inning (Drew, a borderline zombie, is the antithesis of Youkilis; he spent five years in this city and I can't remember a single smile or grimace).  I admire Youk's passion and competitive fire almost as much as I admire his uncanny ability to rise to the occasion with runners in scoring position; the Greek God of Walks is a career .289/.391/.492 hitter, but bats .328/.436/.554 with RISP.  In other terms, he transforms from Andre Ethier into Todd Helton circa 2005.  Lastly, it took a lot of guts to stand up to an established superstar like Manny Ramirez

Pedroia and Youkilis play the game with an unmatched intensity

Dustin Pedroia
How can you not root for a pint-sized second baseman nicknamed "The Laser Show" who swings from his heels and ropes line drives to all fields?  The diminuitive second baseman swings a big stick, knows when to grab a bag and plays outstanding defense at the keystone position.  He's a lot like Youkilis in that he's very gritty, hard-nosed, emotional, and driven.  While they lack in raw athleticism, they make up for that deficiency with their heart.

Daniel Bard
"Bard-On" can bring the heat, and you gotta love a flamethrower who comes out of the 'pen and mows guys down.  He's no Aroldis Chapman, but in my 15 years as a fan I've never seen a Bosox pitcher throw harder than this man.

Adrian Gonzalez
The dude rakes, and I'm glad he's finally getting the attention he deserves now that he's escaped from PETCO.  I've never been there, but I hear tourists mistake it for the Grand Canyon.

Questionable Baseball MVPs; 1922-1929

In 1922 the American League created a new award to honor "the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club". Winners, voted on by a committee of eight baseball writers chaired by James Crusinberry, received a bronze medal and a cash prize. Voters were required to select one player from each team, but player-managers and prior award winners were ineligible. Therefore, Babe Ruth was not on the ballot in 1927, the year he smashed 60 home runs, because he had already won the award in 1923.  The National League award, did not have those restrictions.

So to recap
-There was no award in 1920 and 1921
-The National League didn't select an MVP in 1922 and 1923
-The American League didn't select an MVP in 1929

1928 AL Mickey Cochrane over Heinie Manush

Mickey Cochrane (3.7 bWAR) was a tremendous player and a deserving Hall-of-Famer, and it's great that Mutt Mantle named his son after him, but like Juan Gonzalez he received two MVP awards that belonged to other players.  He didn't lead the league in anything, and there's nothing special about his ten home runs, 57 RBI, 217 total bases, and a 122 OPS+.  His .293 batting average is especially ordinary given the inflated marks of the era, and he was the third most valuable player on his team (a la Justin Morneau after Joe Mauer and Johan Santana in 2006) behind Al Simmons (.351/.496/.558) and Lefty Grove (24-8, 2.58 ERA), but interestingly neither of them appeared on the ballot.  Jimmie Foxx (4.6 bWAR) did and finished elventh, but he missed almost a quarter of the season and put up below average counting numbers for a first baseman.  Looking back, it seems the voters gave "Black Mike" far too much credit for the Athletics' second place finish behind the Bronx Bombers.  Runner-up Heinie Manush (7.5 bWAR), the best eligible candidate that year, enjoyed the finest season of his Hall of Fame career.  He absolutely crushed Cochrane in every category across the board.  The .330 career hitter posted a whopping .378/.414/.575 line to go along with his league leading 241 hits and 47 doubles.  He also stole 16 bases, knocked in and scored more than 100 runs, and hit for much more power than Cochrane.  His Browns finished third, too, so it's not like he played for some second division doormat.

1925 Roger Peckinpaugh over Al Simmons

This one's bad.  Real bad.  Peckinpaugh (2.4 bWAR) was a light-hitting shortstop for the first place Washington Senators, and his 90 OPS+ indicates that he was a liability with the bat in his hands.  His other stats--24 extra base hits, 64 RBI, 67 runs, 160 total bases, .379 slugging percentage--back that up.  He didn't lead the league in anything, missed nearly a month of action and wasn't close to being the MVP of a team that featured Cooperstown bound players like Sam Rice (.350/.388/.442), Goose Goslin (.334/.394/.547), and 20 game winner Walter Johnson, none of whom appeared on the ballot.  Simmons (5.6 bWAR), also known as "Bucketfoot Al," towered over Peckinpaugh with his gaudy.387/.419/.599 line. Although none of his triple slash stats were good enough to rank first in the Junior Circuit, he made up for it by pacing the majors with 654 at-bats, 253 hits, and 392 total bases for the second place Philadelphia A's.  Unfortunately for Simmons, he would never win an MVP, partially because there was no award in 1929 and 1930, two of his best statistical seasons that coincided with his presence on a pair of World Series winning clubs.  He would have been a slam-dunk candidate who might have won back-to-back trophys, but we will never know.

1924 NL Dazzy Vance over Rogers Hornsby

Not a terrible choice, because Vance (8.8 bWAR) had a Justin Verlander kind of season in 1924; he won the major league pitching triple crown for a second place Brooklyn squad, and also ranked first in the bigs in complete games, ERA+, WHIP, K/9, K/BB ratio, and fewest H/9.  There's no question he had an MVP caliber season, but it just wasn't as good as Rogers Hornsby's record setting campaign.  The second baseman set the modern mark for batting average by hitting .424, and his contributions didn't end there.  He piled up thirteen bWAR and led the league in runs, hits, doubles, walks, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and total bases.  His 25 home runs, 94 RBI and .696 slugging percentage were exceptional figures for a keystone player during that era; a modern day equivalent would be if Chase Utley or Dan Uggla suddenly started hitting like Barry Bonds.  That kind of elite production from a premium defensive position is unparalleled.  The only blemish on Rajah's candidacy (besides his shaky glovework) is that his St. Louis Cardinals went 65-89, but Hornsby clearly did his best to pull them out of the cellar.  If writers can make an exception for Andre Dawson and Alex Rodriguez, they should have done the same for an extraordinary season from the greatest righthanded hitter in baseball history.

Questionable Baseball MVPs; 1931-1939

There was no award for 1930, which is ashame because it was the biggest year for offense in baseball history.  Just to give you an idea of how crazy it was, the National League batted a collective .303/.360/.448, Hack Wilson set the all-time RBI record with 191, and Bill Terry became the last NL player to eclipse the sacred .400 mark when he batted .401.

1938 NL Ernie Lombardi over Bill Lee

Lombardi (5.3 bWAR), Cincy's lead-footed catcher, won the batting title by hitting .342.  But he didn't lead the league in anything else, failed to reach 20 dingers/ 100 RBI and teammate Ival Goodman (5.9 bWAR and 30 home runs earned him some down ballot votes) actually rated as more valuable to the Reds.  I could forgive this choice if the Redlegs won the pennant, but they finished in fourth place!  I'm sorry, but having a Victor Martinez type season for an 82 win team just doesn't cut it.  Runner-up "Big" Bill Lee (not the Spaceman who pitched for Boston during the '70s) helped the Cubs narrowly win the pennant by leading the majors with 22 wins, nine shutouts and a 2.66 ERA.  He also paced the Senior Circuit in winning percentage, games started, and ERA+.  Without his 7.3 bWAR, Chicago would have finished in fifth place, behind Lombardi's Reds.

1937 AL Charlie Gehringer over Joe DiMaggio

Gehringer (7.6 bWAR), known as the "Mechanical Man" for his combination of durability and consistency, won the batting title with a .371 average.  He also manned the keystone position and hit third for a second place Tigers squad, batting in front of Hank Greenberg which helped his gaudy .458 OBP (Billy Beane would drink a gallon of pee to have that kind of player up the middle) translate to 133 runs scored, but he didn't lead the league in anything other than batting average.  Hammerin' Hank (7.8 bWAR) finished third in the race after knocking in 183 runs out of the cleanup slot, falling just one RBI short of Lou Gehrig's American League record set six years prior, and compiled better all-around numbers than his teammate.  Translation; Greenberg, not Gehringer, was the most valuable player in the Motor City.  Runner-up Joe DiMaggio, in just his secong big league season, racked up a league leading nine bWAR while playing centerfield for the World Series champs.  Joltin' Joe's 151 runs, 46 home runs, .673 slugging percentage and 418 total bases led all of baseball, and are even more impressive when you consider that he was a right-handed slugger who had to contend with Death Valley in half of his games.  The Yankee Clipper got plenty of help from Gehrig (8.4 bWAR, fourth place finish) and backstop Bill Dickey (6.3 bWAR, fifth place), but at the end of the day he was still the best player in baseball that year.

1935 NL Gabby Hartnett over everyone else

Hartnett (5.2 bWAR) was a sweet-swinging catcher who put up a Joe Mauer-ish .344/.404/.545 line with thirteen bombs and 91 RBI for a Chicago Cubs team that won 100 games, but didn't lead the league in anything and only played in 116 games.  In addition, teammate/second baseman Billy Herman, who led the majors in hits and doubles, was worth two more wins than Hartnett but finished fourth in the voting.  He also played everyday, whereas Hartnett missed roughly a quarter of the season.  Herman was more deserving, as was runner-up Dizzy Dean (7.6 bWAR), but I would have given the trophy to third place Arky Vaughan.  Pittsburgh's shortstop accrued a league leading 9.1 bWAR and won the sabermetric triple crown with his eye-popping slash stats of .385/.491/.607 in the signature season of his Hall of Fame career.  For good measure, he also led the NL in walks and OPS+.  And while he wasn't an elite slugger like Alex Rodriguez or Ernie Banks, his power numbers (19 home runs, 99 RBI and 303 total bases) were ahead of their time for the position.

1934 AL Mickey Cochrane over everyone else

4.3 bWAR, two home runs, 74 runs, 76 RBI, a .412 slugging percentage, 180 total bases, and a 117 OPS+.  Do those read like MVP numbers to you? I didn't think so, and no amount of leadership, toughness or other intangibles frequently associated with Cochrane can overcome his Jason Kendall production.  "Black Mike" didn't lead the league in anything and was less than half as valuable as teammate/runner-up Charlie Gehringer (9.5 bWAR), who led the league in games played, runs scored, and hits as the true most valuable player for a Tigers squad that won 101 games.  And while I'm at it, Cochrane was also less valuable than staff ace Schoolboy Rowe (7.1 bWAR, fourth place) and Hank Greenberg (6.7 bWAR, sixth place).  But the real MVP played for the Yankees, and his name was Lou Gehrig.  The Iron Horse (10.4 bWAR) picked up the slack for an an aging Babe Ruth by winning both the major league Triple Crown and sabermetric triple crown. The Bronx Bomber also topped the bigs in OPS+ and total bases, but could do no better than a fifth place finish in the MVP race.  This vote reminds of the 2006 ballot, when Justin Morneau somehow ended up at the top despite rating lower than Mauer and Johan Santana.  My favorite stat from Gehrig's huge season; 49 home runs against 31 strikeouts.

1931 NL Frankie Frisch over Chuck Klein

The Fordham Flash manned second base for the "Gashouse Gang" Cardinals team that won the World Series, and helped fuel the lineup with his league leading 28 stolen bases.  Frisch (4.4 bWAR) didn't lead the league in anything else, though, and the rest of his numbers (four home runs, 82 RBI, .396 slugging percentage) simply aren't good.  You don't need to look at his 101 OPS+ to know that he wasn't anything special as a hitter, and the fact that he missed over 20 games is another strike against him.  Chick Hafey (.349/.404/.569) and Jim Bottomley (.348/.403/.534) were both much more productive with the stick, and as a result you can't definitively say that Frisch was the surefire MVP of the Cards.  Like a Derek Jeter or Johnny Damon, he was a tremendous complementary player who could run and hit for high batting averages, but was never good enough to be the centerpiece of a lineup.  Runner-up Chuck Klein (4.5 bWAR) was such a centerpiece, and he topped Frisch in every category except for steals.  Overall, he put together a much more dominant season that included league leading totals in runs, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and total bases.  Unfortunately, his lowly Phillies finished 22 games under .500 and their record probably cost him in the voting.  But this was a pretty weak year for the Senior Circuit as far as MVP candidates are concerned, and the paucity of elite production helped Frisch sneak away with the trophy.

Questionable Baseball MVPs; 1940-1949

1947 NL Bob Elliott over everyone else

Elliot (6.2 bWAR), also known as Mr. Team, had a nice season for the third place Boston Braves, but he didn't lead the league in anything and wasn't even the most valuable player on his own team; Warren Spahn, who finished fifteenth, compiled a league best 8.3 bWAR (remember that Justin Verlander had 8.5 last year) and paced the National League in ERA, shutouts, innings pitched, ERA+ and WHIP.  Johnny Mize (third place and 7.3 bWAR) and Ralph Kiner (7.9 bWAR) both put up monster numbers and were much more deserving than Elliott.  The Big Cat piled up the most runs, longballs, and ribbies in the Show for the fourth place New York Giants.  Kiner (think Alex Rodriguez when he was playing for the Rangers) missed out on the top five because the Pirates were so bad, even though he topped the league in homers, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and total bases.  Their numbers are almost identical, so Mize gets the nod because he played for a better team in a much bigger market.

1947 AL Joe DiMaggio over Ted Williams

The great Yankee centerfielder beat out Teddy Ballgame in a photo finish, edging "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" by just one point in the voting because one writer left Williams off his ballot altogether.  The Yankee Clipper (5.6 bWAR) actually had what was for him a subpar year; he didn't lead the league in anything, his 20 home runs were a career low, he failed to eclipse 100 runs/RBI and his .315/.391/.522 line fell significantly short of his career averages, yet he still managed to walk away with his third MVP award. The Splendid Splinter (10.3 bWAR) dominated his rival in every category and won his second Triple Crown, but the Yankees ran away with the pennant while his Red Sox slipped to third place after their starting rotation imploded.  It didn't help that Williams frequently clashed with the press and got on their bad side, whereas DiMaggio kept his mouth shut off the field and avoided controversy.  Another plus for Dimaggio was that he had the polished reputation as a consummate teammate and professional, whereas many perceived Williams to be selfish and too concerned with his own statistics.

1945 NL Phil Cavarretta over Tommy Holmes

Cavarretta (6.6 bWAR) led the majors with his .355 average and .449 OBP and helped get the Cubs to their most recent World Series appearance, but he was hardly a one man show as four of his teammates also finished in the top eleven.  In addition, his six home runs, .500 slugging percentage and .145 ISO are nothing special for a first baseman/outfielder.  Holmes (8.6 bWAR) toiled for the sixth place Boston Braves, but he got fat off the diluted talent pool due to the war and put up the best numbers of his otherwise unspectacular career.  His statistics indicate that he was obviously the best hitter in baseball that year; Holmes ranked first in the majors in hits, doubles, home runs, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and total bases.  He nearly beat out Cavarretta for the batting title, too, but his .352 mark fell just short.

1944 NL Marty Marion over everyone else

One of the worst choices in history because nothing about Marion's season was MVP worthy. Not his four bWAR, miniscule power numbers, nor his .267/.324/.362 line. Not surprisingly, he defeated runner-up Bill Nicholson (league leading 116 runs, 33 taters, 122 RBI and 317 total bases) of the Chicago Cubs by just a single point.  This award belonged to teammate Stan Musial (9.1 bWAR and a fourth place finish), who led the league in hits, doubles, OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+. Stan the Man had just won the trophy the year before, so voters were probably a little reluctant to give him another one.

1944 AL Hal Newhouser over Dizzy Trout

A close race between the pair of Detroit aces came down to the wire, and Newhouser (7.4 bWAR) won out because of his better record (29-9 compared to Trout's 27-14) and better strikeout totals.  Upon closer examination, it becomes quite clear that Trout (9.7 bWAR) was actually more valuable.  Not only was he a capable hitter (his five home runs bring Carlos Zambrano to mind) but he also held a slight edge in ERA and WHIP while tossing 40 more innings.  You can't go wrong with either one here, but Trout is a better choice than Newhouser.

1942 AL Joe Gordon over Ted Williams

The slugging second baseman had a marvelous year with 8.4 bWAR for the pennant winning Yankees, but Williams racked up eleven bWAR in Beantown.  Gordon had the advantage of playing a premium defensive position up the middle, but Teddy Ballgame won the Triple Crown in an encore of his .400 season, helped the Sox win 93 games and outperformed Flash in every way imaginable, but the voters snubbed him anyways and he would have to settle for another second place finish.  You could even make the case that Gordon wasn't the most valuable player in the Bronx, as Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller were just as vital to New York's success. 

1941 AL Joe DiMaggio over Ted Williams

America's last summer before the nation entered World War II was dominated by a pair of special baseball achievements.  DiMag's 56 game hitting streak captivated the nation, and Williams (11.3 bWAR) batted .406 after famously going six-for-eight in a doubleheader on the season's final day.  Interestingly enough, while DiMaggio (9.4 bWAR) crafted his 56-gamer Williams actually outperformed him over the same two month stretch.  And while the hitting streak was an incredible achievement, in and of itself it isn't exceptionally valuable.  I just don't see how the voters could have denied Williams and his scorching .406/.553/.735 line the award.  To make a more modern comparison, Joltin' Joe(9.4 bWAR) put up Albert Pujols numbers, but The Kid topped him with Barry Bonds circa 2004 statistics.  The Yankee Clipper had a slight edge in RBI because he was surrounded by better hitters such as Joe Gordon, Charlie Keller, Tommy Henrich, and Phil Rizzuto, who all received MVP consideration, but Williams outperformed him in everything else.  Many argued that DiMaggio was the superior all-around player, and while there is no denying that Williams did more than enough with the lumber to compensate for his deficiencies with the leather.  Joltin' Joe was worthy, but Williams was even better.

1940 NL Frank McCormick over Johnny Mize

McCormick's Reds won 100 games this year, but he had plenty of help in Cincy as four of his teammates also finished in the top ten.  McCormick (six bWAR) led the Senior Circuit with 191 hits and 44 doubles, but his 19 dingers and .482 slugging percentaged are unimpressive for a first baseman.  According to bWAR the reigning MVP Bucky Walters (6.8 bWAR) was more valuable to the Redlegs for delivering another Cy Young caliber season that resulted in league leading figures in wins, ERA, complete games, innings, ERA+, WHIP, and fewest H/9.  But that is neither here nor there, because the Cardinals' Johnny Mize (seven bWAR) wielded the NL's most potent bat; he led the Senior Circuit in home runs, RBI, slugging, OPS, OPS+, and total bases.  The Big Cat outperformed "Buck" across the board and was clearly the more dominant player.  He should have walked away with the trophy but got jobbed because St. Louis finished in third place with 84 victories.