The Bryce Harper Compendium (2015)

[HattoriHanzo]

Harper for MVP is a farce.   It makes a mockery of the award: it isn't for BEST player in the league (which he is) it's for the player who was most valuable, meaning the one most responsible for the team's success.   If the team has no success (nevermind has a disaster of a season and is a complete embarassment) no player from that team should be MVP.   

Cespedes is clearly the NL MVP, assuming the Mets win the division.  He is almost solely responsible for their success.

The nats have been in the pennant race up until this past series.   Without him the nats are dead in may.  The freaking bullpen, desi's brutal first half, Scherzer's post ASG collapse, and Escobar/Ramos love to hit into double plays have sabotaged the season.  Add MW as your manager making every bone headed decision possible too.  Mondo deserves this year's MVP easily.

[Slateman]

The nats have been in the pennant race up until this past series.   Without him the nats are dead in may.  The freaking bullpen, desi's brutal first half, Scherzer's post ASG collapse, and Escobar/Ramos love to hit into double plays have sabotaged the season.  Add MW as your manager making every bone headed decision possible too.  Mondo deserves this year's MVP easily.

lol, the Nats have not been in the pennant race up until the last series. They've been out of it since coming out of the ASB like crap.

[varoadking]

lol, the Nats have not been in the pennant race up until the last series. They've been out of it since coming out of the ASB like crap.

QFT

[HalfSmokes]

I would argue that the only good player on a bad team is clearly the most valuable to his team.

I'd argue that they're the least valuable, but I also think that if a team doesn't make the playoffs, the next best thing is better draft position. A good player on a playoff team helps that team, a good player on a non playoff team doesn't help them at all 

[mitlen]

It's begun  ...  Watching the Sports Reporters before I hit the links.   They're talking about Cespedes as the NL MVP.    Lupica's havin' an orgasm.      If they're talking about it, there's a drumbeat a comin'.      Has there ever been an MVP who didn't play the majority of the season in the league he won the MVP in?   (Not a trick question ...  welch might know)

[Ray D]

   Has there ever been an MVP who didn't play the majority of the season in the league he won the MVP in?   

If there has been it would have to have been in "modern times".   Used to be an interleague trade deadline, around June 15.

[madj55]

I don't see how he doesn't win the MVP. He deserves it. However, I don't give a freak about individual awards if they don't coincide with winning games.

[Baseball is Life]

The MVP should be given to the player with the best stats and if it's close then give it to the player with the best stats on the best team.

If you want to give it to the "most valuable" and throw out stats, then it becomes a popularity contest and very subjective.

[HalfSmokes]

The MVP should be given to the player with the best stats and if it's close then give it to the player with the best stats on the best team.

If you want to give it to the "most valuable" and throw out stats, then it becomes a popularity contest and very subjective.

How is a player on a losing team the most valuable when the team doesn't achieve anything; subtract their contribution and the team still accomplished the same thing

[Baseball is Life]

How is a player on a losing team the most valuable when the team doesn't achieve anything; subtract their contribution and the team still accomplished the same thing

Subtract their contribution and they are worse usually.

We are not going to settle this age old argument. They should just rename it "Player of the Year" and give it to the guy with the best stats.

[HalfSmokes]

Subtract their contribution and they are worse usually.

So they go from missing the playoffs to missing the playoffs- huge difference

[Baseball is Life]

So they go from missing the playoffs to missing the playoffs- huge difference

Or they could go from missing the playoffs to last place. I know some people think that it's all the same if you you don't get in the postseason, but I'm not one.

[HalfSmokes]

It's not the same, last place gets you a better pick

[ExposFan87]

Cespedes for mvp is a freaking joke.  His total season numbers pale in comparison to Harp and Goldie.

Hey, we're not all good with numbers so I don't blame you for this oversight.

Cespedes - 102 RBI
Goldschmidt - 99 RBI
Harper - 85 RBI

[welch]

Hey, we're not all good with numbers so I don't blame you for this oversight.

Cespedes - 102 RBI
Goldschmidt - 99 RBI
Harper - 85 RBI

NL MVP? I count 41 RBI's in 39 games for Cespedes. Harper and Goldschmidt have played the entire season. Cespedes is already NL MVP in the universe in which Mike Vail is 1975 Rookie of the Year because he had a 25-game hitting streak after the Mets promoted him in late August. Over there, Vail went on to lead the NL in batting and RBI's four or five times, was NL All-Star six times, and held down RF for the Mets until 1985. MVP twice.

Cespedes hit .292 in 102 games with Detroit, posting .829 OPS. Maybe AL MVP, but not likely.

Over his career, YC is a .275 hitter, with an OPS of about .800. This is a hot-streak, not an MVP season. 

Harper looks headed toward 40 home runs, about 95 RBI's, .330 - .335 average, and about 120 walks. That says Harper is having a typical Harmon Killebrew season for power, an Eddie Yost season in walks, a Sam Rice / Goose Goslin season for average, and slightly above a Goose Goslin season for OPS (typically .950 - 1.0).

Yes, Killebrew, Rice, and Goslin are in the Hall of Fame. Yost led the AL in walks a half-dozen times.

RBI's? Imagine this season with Rendon and Zimmerman hitting on either side of Harper, and Span leading off. More runners in scoring position and hitters after Harper making it risky to pitch around him.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm going to clean up a lot of this non-Harper stuff in this thread because, well, me.

[tomterp]

Hey, we're not all good with numbers so I don't blame you for this oversight.

Cespedes - 102 RBI
Goldschmidt - 99 RBI
Harper - 85 RBI

RBI's depend on people getting on base ahead of the hitter, so as a success measurement it's a deeply flawed stat. 

Harper's had 305 opportunities with men on base and has hit .336   .443   .695   1.138 - and he's been walked 48 times in those 305 leaving him with 257 AB's to work with.

Cespedes has had 340 opportunities in which he's hit .284 .318 .528 .845 - good numbers but inferior in every way to Harper.  He's only been walked 15 times, giving him 325 shots with runners on  - 68 more opportunities than Harper has had.

[mitlen]

Over his career, YC is a .275 hitter, with an OPS of about .800. This is a hot-streak, not an MVP season. 

This

[HalfSmokes]

Harper is the clear MVP.  Most Valuable has always been subject to interpretation, and there is no clearly defined definition.I don't know why some people seem to think otherwise and scream how it has to tied to the team's success, most valuable to the team winning games.  Dawson won on a last place team because he had the best stats.  It is an individual award. 

I also don't see how Cespedes could be considered for NL MVP playing 1/3 of the season.....

Yet you have no problem defining it clearly

[zimm_da_kid]

#37

[tomterp]

Haha ok you got me, clearly it's just my opinion, but at the same time to me it's common sense.  The best statistical player if it's not close, and if it's extremely close then the person who really helped his team win the most.

So Harper then.

[MorseTheHorse]

Cespedes' September has been unreal as has the Mets'.  I think he has a legitimate case for NL MVP. 

[WashingtonWizards23]

He will never be clutch 

[Baseball is Life]

Cespedes' September has been unreal as has the Mets'.  I think he has a legitimate case for NL MVP. 

He has a legitimate case for a combined NL/Al MVP. Wait, there's no such thing.

[Ray D]

He has a legitimate case for a combined NL/Al MVP. Wait, there's no such thing.

He could get the NL award but he's never get the award for artificial intelligence.