I have a few in mind as I randomly thought about this today. Throw out some discussion. Make a nomination in bold. If enough are made I'll try to set up a poll. Discussions like this are what make this site se one to none. Do your thing SoSH.
Williams won 2 MVPs, should have won 5. If you click on the MVP-2s in the far right column, the MVP ranking comes up.snowmanny said:This could be unanimous.
But 406/553/735 might deserve some consideration.
The next year, in 2000, Pedro increased his ERA+ from 243 to 291!!!!! and lowered his WHIP from .923 to .737!!!!!Pilgrim said:Pitchers are always graded on a curve for this award, but the first thing that comes to mind is Pedro's 12 (!!!) fWar 1999.
If you pitched arguably the greatest season ever pitched, you're the MVP.
I recall reading somewhere that the MVP award in the 1920s had an inexplicable "once-in-your-career-only" rule. I'm not sure whether this was a hard rule or an unwritten one, or one some voters simply self-enforced with seemingly braindead votes (on the level of leaving Pedro off a ballot in 99/00).SumnerH said:Ruth got robbed as much as Ted, if not more.
e.g. 1926: George Burns hits .358/.394/.494 for a .889 OPS and a pretty nice 130 OPS+, fielding 1B and amassing 4.9 WAR.
Babe Ruth in 1926 hits .372/.516/.737 for a 1.253 OPS and a 225 OPS+, fielding in the OF and putting up 11.4 WAR.
Burns somehow wins the AL MVP.
Ruth's 1924 and 1927 were arguably better years, but he was beaten out by an otherworldly 1927 performance by Gehrig that was at least in the conversation and a pretty great (if somewhat lacking by comparison) 1924 campaign by Walter Johnson. Ruth's 1921 season is maybe technically the "greatest season performance not to win the MVP award" and 1920 is right there, but the MVP wasn't given out those years.
You're right, prior award winners were ineligible in the AL (but not in the NL--Rogers Hornsby won a couple of times in the 1920s).Tito's Pullover said:I recall reading somewhere that the MVP award in the 1920s had an inexplicable "once-in-your-career-only" rule. I'm not sure whether this was a hard rule or an unwritten one, or one some voters simply self-enforced with seemingly braindead votes (on the level of leaving Pedro off a ballot in 99/00).
jose melendez said:Albert Belle may not have had one of the greatest seasons of all time, but he sure as hell got jobbed in 1995.
glennhoffmania said:I'll say it. Jeter in 2006.
Morneau's fWAR was 3.7. Jeter was 6.1. They were closer in bWAR but Jeter was still better. I was shocked that Morneau won.
Al Zarilla said:Williams won 2 MVPs, should have won 5. If you click on the MVP-2s in the far right column, the MVP ranking comes up.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml
He may have been screwed worse in 2012. 10.1 fWAR, 30 HR, 83 RBIs, 129 R, 49 SB, 326/399/564 (67% better then league average) versus 10.5 fWAR, 27 HR, 97 RBIs, 109 R, 33 SB, 323/432/557 (76% better than league average). He was phenominal defensively both years and both are worth mentioning n this thread.ivanvamp said:Trout in 2013 has to be in the conversation. 9.7 bWAR, crazy numbers all over the place, defensive star. 179 ops+.