Politics + Baseball = Dumb.
Racial Politics + Baseball = Super Dumb.

better MVP candidate. So Taguchi contributed more to a team that won the world series this year than Albert did, because his team actually won. Ergo, So Taguchi should have been MVP!

Even assuming this argument has merit, it is a better argument for why Lidge should have gotten the MVP than Howard — Lidge was consistently putting out tremendous performance, while Howard lingered for months without producing.

Deep down, I think most people think Howard should have gotten the MVP b/c he hit lots of HR. But nobody can defend that as a proposition, so they twist stats and come up with silly arguments.

For the record, in 2006, I thought that Howard was at least was equally deserving of the award. I am not someone who just moves the goalposts so the home team wins.

Dear Mr. Murray,
 
I am an avid Cardinals fan, but I like to believe that first and foremost I am a fan of the game of baseball. I know that I carry a bias towards my team and my team’s players. However, I know that I can say to you without the slightest amount of bias that Albert Pujols was far and away the Most Valuable Player in the National League this season. Thus, I am writing you this letter to respectfully disagree with your statement of Ryan Howard derserving the NL MVP.
 
As you stated in your article, you already know that Albert Pujols was far superior statisitically to Ryan Howard in almost every single category. Yes, Howard did lead the Majors in home runs and runs batted in. But, I’m sure you are aware that RBI’s are one of the most team-subjective statistics out there. Do you not believe if Albert Pujols had the likes of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino batting in front of him to get on base he couldn’t have very easily had 140+ RBI’s, especially with his .357 AVG? If Pujols played in the hitter-friendly Citizen’s Bank Ballpark could he have not hit 40+ HR’s? I guess we will never know. But, Pujols did miss 14 games this season with a calf strain and still managed to hit 37 long balls and drive in 116 runs hitting in a pitcher’s park 81 games out of the year.
 
You make the mention of Howard driving in all of his runs and leading the league in home runs all while putting up a line of .234/.324/.508. If Howard had not had this sub-par line, his massive month of September would not have been necessary because he and the Phillies would have wrapped up the NL East much earlier. Just imagine how much gaudier Howard’s HR’s and RBI’s could have been with a Pujolsian slash line. The point I am making here is that if you were to replace Howard with Pujols on the Phillies roster he would have put up his Ruthian slash line and he would have had even more HR’s and RBI’s than Howard playing in the hitter’s friendly ballpark. Thus, his “value” is much greater than Howard’s.
 
As well, you make the claim “Individual statistics mean absolutely nothing unless it translates into your team winning.” Well, the fact is Pujols’ team did win. The Cardinals were projected to be a 70-75 win team and they ended up with 86. No, they did not make the playoffs, but they were in the hunt all the way until September in the toughest division in the NL. The Phillies were playing in a much weaker division and their only competition late in the year were the Mets who had another September fallout. The Cardinals had to climb an uphill battle against the Cubs and Brewers, and they were also being challenged by a surging Astros team. I commend the Phillies for making it to the postseason and I congratulate them on winning the World Series. However, this is, as you mentioned, a moot point due to the fact that MVP voting takes place before the postseason. In any case, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, and Brad Lidge played just as significant, if not more significant, roles in the Phillies run to the playoffs over the course of the entire season, and the games in May and June go down in the exact same win column as the wins in August and September.
 
 
Don’t get me wrong, I think Howard is a great player and a tremendous human being. He is feared by pitchers for his power and he does drive in runs, but there are a slew of players in the Majors that can do that. If I had a vote for the NL MVP, I could not in with justifiable logic give the award to Mr. Howard. To put this into perspective take Pujols’ total for strikeouts in 2008, then triple it, and he would still have 37 less strikeouts compared to Ryan. When we look back on these players careers’ 30 years from now Howard will most likely be seen as a great slugger. Pujols could very well be seen as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. To consider these two players in the same level of play any season is a stretch. I understand your praise for Howard guiding his team to the postseason, still this is not the only measurement for then MVP. The award is not given solely to players who make the postseason, and unless this stipulation changes it is not a valid argument to solely base the MVP on. I respect your opinion on Howard being a great hitter and important player to the Phillies postseason run. But to consider him the MVP of the National League is not an appropriate assessment. I thank you for taking the time to read this and I would appreciate a response if you have the time.
 
Thank you