LOS ANGELES, CA — How we pick a MVP in baseball is more complex than it may seem and is not always fair. As fans, we are rooting for our hometown player, who is having an exceptional year. That’s normal, and fans have become quite vocal when they defend their favorite guy. All 30 fanbases do that. But the fans don’t get a vote.
Francisco Lindor greets a young Mets fan prior to game time – Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
It’s the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who cast ballots. Not all of these writers follow their team’s games home and away. So, in some cases, they will see a player only once or twice in a three-game series. That voter can’t see visiting team players as much as he sees his hometown guy. The next best thing is to look at stats like batting average, home runs, and RBI for positional players. They will never see a player take that extra base on his teammate’s single or his hustle in the field.
Several years ago, I heard a young writer from Wisconsin say, “I would never vote for Derek Jeter because he’s a singles hitter.” When asked how often he had seen Jeter play, he answered, “I’ve never seen him play in person.” This exchange highlights a crucial point in the MVP selection process — the importance of firsthand experience.
Derek Jeter introduced during 2024 Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The writer’s opinion was based solely on what he read in the papers or saw in the stats columns, a stark reminder that statistics alone may not provide a complete picture of a player’s performance. That writer never disliked Jeter; he could only go by what he read in the papers or saw in the stats columns.
Today, we still have that dilemma. In the National League is Shohei Ohtani better than Fransisco Lindor, Caguas, Puerto Rico or Marcell Ozuna, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic? I see Ohtani every game he plays. I have seen him steal second base and then third base, giving the Dodgers a chance to score more runs. I have seen him tag up from second on a short fly ball to center field, again putting his team in a position to score. That is MVP stuff.
Scenes from Pirates-Dodgers last night with Shohei Ohtani’s 35th home run ⚾️#Dodgers #MLB #LatinoSports #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/TAK9wSh7K6
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) August 10, 2024
I’ve seen the Mets and Braves twice at Dodger Stadium, six times if I travel to Anaheim 37 miles south. I don’t get to see enough of the things that these other players do on the field. So I have to go by their stats, which is unfair to those extraordinary players. It’s not a perfect system; sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don’t.
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