And the 2010 Diamondbacks MVP is...
by Jim McLennan on Nov 27, 2010 11:37 AM EST
in Diamondbacks Features
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Last Saturday, we opened the poll for the last and most prestigious of the 2010 AZ SnakePit awards, to decide who was the Most Valuable Player for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. Voting has closed and a highly-respected firm of accountants have now tallied the ballots. The results were announced at a black-tie gala event last night, attended by all the members of the team, and after the jump, we'll analyze the numbers.
Er, some of the paragraph above may not be entirely true...
There were quite a significant number of spoiled ballots - 29, to be exact. I would have thought "list the nominees in order, 1-2-3-4-5," would be hard to get wrong, but people apparently missed this, or opted to ignore it. So, we had everything from five votes of "1", to a pair of fives, two fours and a one. Fortunately, Google Spreadsheets makes it easy to filter out the invalid one, so once that had been done, we were left with 122 legitimate ballots. Below, you'll find the rankings for each of the five nominees: on the left as a graph, and on the right as a table, each showing the number of votes the player in question got at each position, from first to fifth.
| Stephen Drew | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Daniel Hudson | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Kelly Johnson | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Justin Upton | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Chris Young | |||||||||||||||||||
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Eyeballing the graphs, you can get a rough idea of the overall rankings, with the nominees falling into three broad bands. Hudson and Upton are in the lowest group, Drew sits in the middle, while it seems that the battle for MVP comes down to Johnson and Young. However, all votes and positions count in the final tally, because the award doesn't go to the player with most first-place ballots, but the one with the lowest average rank. [This could open the door for tactical voting, where you place your favorite first, then put his rival in fifth, to drive down his average ranking. But I'm hoping no-one thought of that. :-)] Having duly crunched the numbers, the final positions are as follows:
5. Justin Upton: 4.11
4. Daniel Hudson: 3.48
3. Stephen Drew: 2.79
2. Chris Young: 2.43
1. Kelly Johnson: 2.18
Congratulations to Johnson, though I'm beginning to wonder if there is some kind of curse to the MVP 'Pittie, given that the previous winners have been Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Brandon Webb... Hopefully, Johnson can break that streak in 2011.
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Comments
KJ
Has some room for regression that i think everybody knows is coming. Hopefully, that’s all that he sees…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.
by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 27, 2010 11:46 AM EST reply actions
I;'m pretty happy with the result
I warmed to him immediatly,lol.
Hey, Vasquez,have you ever been mistaken for a man ?
No, have you?
humm
Dont let Towers see it.
That 5th place spot will be one more point for him to JUSTINfie some trade…
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRt
LMAO
Isnt Upton supposed to be a future Hall of Famer and all these dbacks fans voted him last in the poll ? Isnt Upton the best outfielder we have ever known and yet Young gets 2nd place in the fan poll ?
Damn, I guess not everyone thinks Upton is fucking God.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
or....
2nd in the outfield behind Young.
Point is, not everyone thinks he is the king.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
He's
5th out of 25 because that’s how the vote is framed. We weren’t given the option of voting him in any other position but 1 – 5, so it doesn’t really have a reflection of his larger status on the team.
That was a rhetorical question. I don't really care what you say.
Well, no
But he was on this here final ballot, so someone thought he was worth something this season, which is in stark contrast to people saying J-Up is fat/ugly/lazy/“uppity”/whatnot.
I guess my overriding point was: We generally dumb
Bad doormat! No stock options!
“You are so dumb. For real.”
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. " ~Greg, age 8
by njjohn on Nov 27, 2010 11:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Sorry. Should be: ’you are REALLY dumb. For real."
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. " ~Greg, age 8
by njjohn on Nov 27, 2010 11:19 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Age?
Upton was 22 for most of the season. The only younger position player in the major-leagues with a better WAR was Jason Heyward.
And I think everyone agrees this was a down year for Upton.
"I don't wanna sit around watching you 'give it your best.' Either stop sucking or get out of the way."
by Jim McLennan on Nov 27, 2010 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
What are the managing and coaching staff for again ?
Oh yeah, to coach and manage the players.
Let’s see what the new coaches can do in ’11.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
Age? Salary? Potential?
If you ask me who had a better year, it’s Young. If you ask me who I would rather build a team around, it’s Upton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.
by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 27, 2010 4:08 PM EST up reply actions
MVP =/= future Hall of Famer
This award looks purely at his production in 2010. This has nothing to do with Upton’s potential down the road.
Others around the league that weren’t their team’s MVP this year; Kershaw, Posey, Tulo, Wainwright, Castro, Andrus, A-Rod, Garza, Feliz, etc. etc.
Too bad those guys no longer have a shot at the Hall. Might as well hand ’em up.
If anything, this poll casts our fans in a great light; we luv us some veteran grit.
by Counsellmember on Nov 29, 2010 7:29 PM EST up reply actions
No way man
All those rumors of PECs (Perfromance Enhancing Cigars) have got the voters in an uproar.
by Counsellmember on Nov 30, 2010 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
If only
that would happen to some of the Hall voters :)
by Counsellmember on Nov 30, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions
Man,
those are so overrated. I’ve smoked ’em, and I still suck balls at baseball. Just ask kishi, soco, BattleMoses, or Clefo.
Mr. Science Boy
er 4th
Hudson’s a pitcher.
And as for D’Backs fans… Our populous hasn’t been the most sophisticated out there (See: Azcentral, Eric Byrnes etc.). And if J-Up were to have a pretty damn good season next year, the same populous would be behind his coronation (using your metaphor) . We’re fickle and/or stupid.
You’re angry, and I dig that.
Bad doormat! No stock options!
50% then.
Upton had a pretty damn good season in 09. Made the Allstar team even. Let’s hope for better hitting and fielding next season. Someone needs to teach Upton and Reynold how to move a man over and not swing for the fences at everyting. Someone needs to teach them two patience and someone needs to show Upton the fundementals of Playing outfield, like using two hands, having your throw arm ready when you do catch the ball and hitting your cut off man.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
Reynolds
Is what he is I think, and if he has an upswing the POWA! he can provide can only be usedf for good. The stuff with Upton will probably come with age and some good coaching (which you could argue we HAVEN’T had for awhile)
Bad doormat! No stock options!
Yeah
But everything doesnt neeed to be a power swing with Mark. Someone needs to teach him to just git a hit or even sacrafice to move a man. Mark swings at everything like he is in a HR derby. Hits and Runs win the game. Trying to hit a bomb every at bat does not. It leads to record amounts of strikeputs.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
by edbigghead on Nov 27, 2010 3:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I resolve to not engage in this tussle.
Phew. Now doesn’t that feel better?
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. " ~Greg, age 8
Worth bearing in mind
Upton was drafted and signed as a shortstop, so only had about 200 games experience in the outfield before his debut in the majors. That’s far less than most outfielders, who tend to have played the position through high-school, college and then made their way through the minors [Upton wasn’t signed until 2006, and made his MLB debut in 2007 – that’s fast]. I think a lack of polish is pretty understandable.
"I don't wanna sit around watching you 'give it your best.' Either stop sucking or get out of the way."
by Jim McLennan on Nov 27, 2010 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
3 years ago mane.
3 years ago. He may of come up fast but he has 3 years under his belt. In proffesional sports that is a long time.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
Saying that Reynolds need to learn patience
Is like saying that a fire needs to learn how to be hot. He has tons of patience (13.9% walk rate in 2010), he just also has tons of holes in his swing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.
by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 27, 2010 4:10 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs
I think that's right.
Reynolds seems pretty good at picking the right pitch to hit. The problem is that often he doesn’t hit it!
Not sure how easy it would be for him to improve in this area, or if the gains from any changes would outweigh the losses.
"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, and disregard of all the rules."- George Orwell
by Arizona via Slough on Nov 27, 2010 5:43 PM EST up reply actions
Arizona tried to make him change his swing
In the middle of last season. The results, as seen in the second half of the year, were horrendous and only exacerbated the problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_9zTD9B98&feature=related
Apparently there's an epilepsy warning on this video. But it's so incredibly cool.
by Dan Strittmatter on Nov 27, 2010 6:14 PM EST up reply actions
Stats again.....
He tries to hit a HR at every at bat. That is not patience. If there is a man on 1st or 2nd he is swinging for the stands and not swinging just to move them over or even get on base. That is not patience. Everyone can see that.
If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.
Which isn't actually true
Last year, Mark was better at the plate with runners on (.257/.375/.553) than he was with the bases empty (.150/.273/.333). His walk rate was pretty similar, if I’m reading it right.
I know, I know, stats.
"I'm a very dangerous fellow when I don't know what I'm doing."
Well,
that doesn’t necessarily disprove what edbigghead accused Mark of doing. It just proves that it’s not a bad approach.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Nov 29, 2010 11:47 AM EST up reply actions
Speaking of which,
I think it speaks to the standards on which we judge Mark Reynolds that the guy hit 32 home runs and drove in 85 runs (yes, I hate RsBI too, but just sayin’) and posted a .234 ISO (those numbers #1, #3, and #1 on the team) and he doesn’t even get a mention in the MVP poll. I mean, I agree with leaving him off, but he tied for the 9th best HR season in franchise history.
Everyone knows I love Mark, and I don’t think he was one of the 5 most valuable players for us this year. I just wanted to point that out.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Nov 29, 2010 12:12 PM EST up reply actions
Point well taken there Phil
Mark just needs to change his approach and if indeed he is proved to be impatient at the plate, he needs to work on that as well. Every player has something to improve. I do believe Upton is very impatient at the plate and could definitely stand for improvement in that area.
"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz
by Rockkstarr12 on Nov 29, 2010 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
Mark ISN'T impatient at the plate, though.
His walk rate was the highest of any player on the team with 235 plate appearances or more. Of the regulars, only Drew, Upton and CY swung at fewer pitches out of the zone, and nobody swung at more pitches IN the zone than Mark.
The problem is that nobody on the team makes less contact than Mark. Keep in mind that these numbers INCLUDE the second half of the season, when they tried to tweak his swing to induce MORE contact.
As for Justin, only Mark and KJ walked more often than him this year. (Of players with 235+ PAs)
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Nov 29, 2010 12:43 PM EST up reply actions
That
is inability to make contact, not impatience. You can strike out a ton and still be patient. Like Adam Dunn pre-2010. Reynolds is very patient hitter, the stats don’t lie.
Leads/ties blown by the Diamondbacks bullpen in '10: 41
Yeah.
THAT is Mark’s problem. Making contact.
Mr. Science Boy
by DbacksSkins on Nov 29, 2010 11:48 AM EST up reply actions
He'd
fit in well with vintage baseball, then.
Doh ho ho!
That was a rhetorical question. I don't really care what you say.
dude. Imagine MR on a vintage team.
"A couple of years agoi was hitting 170 in 60 at bats and everybody was ready to kill me Guess what happened? Laser Show!
+1
I agree with you, edbigghead
"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." ~Charles M Schulz
by Rockkstarr12 on Nov 28, 2010 12:19 AM EST up reply actions
My math class
that I hated with the fire of 10,000 suns had a unit on voting methods, so I would have thought of other voting methods. But then I would have run out of the room screaming, so it’s good that you didn’t ask me.
If I'm going to be accused of being a mythical figure, I'd much rather be a leprechaun, thank you very much.
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