The Real Meaning of 'Value'

There is a lot that goes into the MVP discussion for every sport. And as the Major League Baseball regular season winds down, debates will rage on not only who should be the MVP should be but what an MVP is.

There are a number of different ways to define what the criteria for an MVP should be.

Some argue that an MVP is the best player on the best team. If that were the case, then players like Evan Longoria of the Rays and Torii Hunter of the Angels would be the top two contenders in the AL while Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs would be in the lead for the NL. These are the teams with the best records in each of the leagues, with the Rays and Angels battling for the top spot in the AL, separated by only half a game in the standings. Neither one of these teams has a clear-cut MVP candidate or even an out-right best player; the Rays, Angels, and Cubs have gotten the job done with a number of different players stepping up in different times throughout the year. This is perhaps why they are the best teams in the league, no one star, just a team of great players playing together to achieve a goal. But if this were the criteria for the MVP, then these players would have to receive more consideration than they are getting.

Another popular form of reasoning in determining the MVP is through straight-up statistics. The Cardinals' Albert Pujols has built up an impressive resume and is getting serious MVP consideration from all over the league. Pujols is in the top ten in all of the major offensive categories and is batting a ridiculous .362, a very high average for a top slugger. These numbers would almost certainly carry him all the way to the National League MVP trophy even if his team does not make the playoffs. There is a similar situation going on in the American League. Josh Hamilton of the Rangers should be the MVP if the decision was based solely on statistics. He ranks 14th in batting average, is tied for 5th in home runs, is 1st in RBIs, and ranks in the top ten in many other important offensive categories. Again, if statistics were the only criteria for MVP, the Pujols and Hamilton would most likely receive the honors.


In some instances, a year-long case for MVPs is clouded by the last few months of a very exciting season. Players who come through down the stretch for their teams and manage to get them into the playoffs all-of-a-sudden jump ahead of players who have played consistently good throughout the season. This year is no exception, Carlos Delgado of the Mets and CC Sabathia of the Brewers are being heralded for their amazing performances of late and are indeed great candidates, but Manny Ramirez is the runaway winner in the NL. Since arriving in Los Angeles, he has done it all for the Dodgers, he's compiled some ridiculous stats and has almost single-handedly turned their season around. Even though he has played in only 38 games with his new team, he is creating a lot of buzz and is getting serious consideration for the MVP award. In the American League, Jermaine Dye of the White Sox would win by default. Chicago is barely hanging in the AL central hunt, but has done enough to hold off the Twins. Carlos Quentin would have taken this award, but his recent season-ending wrist injury has almost ended any consideration of him for this award. The White Sox best player down the stretch has been Dye, he is the most consistent and has has the best numbers of anyone on the team. Some may ask why not a member of the Red Sox for this line of reasoning? There surely have been a number of players that have been hot down the stretch for their team. While this is true, Boston has not been battling for a playoff spot, merely for positioning. Year in and year out they are in the upper echelon of AL teams and this year is no exception, although they risk not winning the East, they are very comfortable making the playoffs as a Wild Card team (see: 2004).

But for the most concrete and verbatim definition of MOST VALUABLE, then the honors must go to Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox and Ryan Braun of the Brewers. Pedroia has been everything for Boston this year; down the stretch has been awesome, hitting out of his mind and leading the charge for the Red Sox to close the gap on the Rays. He has been the best player on a playoff team for the entire season and is as consistent as they come. He also fantastic stats, holding the top spots in the AL in batting average (.328), hits (196), and runs scored (112).

For Braun, he has been the best position player on the Brewers all year and seems to have a knack for coming though late in games. His consistent play all year has kept Milwaukee in the playoff run all season and has given many a Cubs fan a heart attack ans Chicago can't seem to break away from the Brewers. As far as his offensive numbers go, he has been very solid; he is 4th in NL in home runs (34), 16th in batting average (.297), and 11th in RBIs (96).

Both Pedroia and Braun have good enough numbers, play for winning clubs, are the best position players on their teams, and, most importantly, are tremendous steals for their clubs. Of all the MVP candidates in both leagues, Pedroia and Braun are putting out the same kind of numbers for a fraction of the cost. Pedroia is making only $457,000 this season and Braun is only bringing in $455,000. And while they certainly aren't hurting for money, they are making 10 to 15 times less than other MVP candidates. Manny Ramirez alone will make $20 million this year; for that price you can have a full 25 man roster of Pedroia's and Braun's and still have some money left over to spend on decent pitching.

So now while the regular season winds down and the postseason begins, the MVP debates will begin to heat up all across the nation. And while many will make their case for the most deserving candidates, its important to really look into the meaning of "value." Although many don't make it a case to include salary in the debate, it is the one factor that can truly determine the most "valuable" players.

And in baseball, there are none more "valuable" than Pedroia or Braun.