Donne the Realist

Award Season

Hypothesis:


I think that changing the name of "Most Valuable Player" award to the "Most Valuable Performer" or "Most Valuable Performance" award would get rid of the alleged ambiguity.


I'm kinda sick of baseball analysts suggesting that Ryan Howard is a strong candidate for the MVP when he might be only the 5th most valuable player on his team.  It's a shame when writers who frequently show good work write that guy X "knows how to win".  Perhaps the path to enlightenment is all in the name...


I think using "Performer" instead of "Player" demystifies the phrase MVP.  While both P's refer to the same thing (baseball athlete), "Player" lends itself to including personality, intangibles, and so on.  When asked to judge a "Player" perhaps voters are projecting character archetypes on the athletes they observe.  How else do we end up with "He knows how to win".  This player is most valuable because he motivates his team.  However, this player makes everyone around him better and that's why his team won the division.  Howard deserves the award because his team is good and the MVP is always a slugging first baseman.


So what about Performer?  The Most Valuable Performer, if indeed this is a problem of labels and not meaning, might not lend itself to "heart and soul" and "Knowshowtowinningness" quite as easily.  The difference is demonstrated in the question.  


Who is the Most Valuable Performer?  The athlete who DID the best.


Who is the Most Valuable Player?  The athlete who IS the best.  


I have no idea of the original intention of "what" the MVP award was meant to honor.  I also think that is irrelevant.  The MVP should reward the performance and not the player - who brings with him the uniform, Win/Loss record, previous seasons work, media storylines, etc... I don't doubt that some players "help their teams win" beyond their hitting, pitching, and defense.  Yet, the assessment of these contributions is the result of speculation.  Do writers have the talent to assess the value of Howard helping one of teammates improve his swing?  What about the value of a "winning attitude"?  These suggestions reveal the author and not the athlete.  


Statistics are the epistemology of baseball for a good reason; the observer can only witness a small portion of meaningful interaction, both on and off the field.  As the statistics have gotten better, the scope of meaningful play has become clearer and more available.  Rewarding a player for non-performance qualities is like rewarding a 40 HR hitter over another 40 HR hitter because we watched the first player and didn't watch the second.  It's baseball, no one can see it all or even most of it - on the field.  Some players help their team win beyond their hitting, pitching, and defense.  But this defies assessment.  Any judgement along these lines is a guess, and a narrow, incomplete one at that considering the rest of the field that goes unobserved.


Baseball, more than other American sports, focuses on individual performances.  Years and years of data make this easy and enjoyable for everyone.  The focus on individual performance should extend to the MVP honor.  I think the scope of the MVPerformer could make this transition a welcome one.  Also, I'd be less miffed having these discussions.

So... What's Next?

Part 2:

This season feels less "watchable" than any other in recent memory.  Though the Dodgers won't be turning their season around, their "watchability" should rebound in the second half.

Kershaw

Kemp

Even if the team doesn't win any more games this year (somehow it feels possible) I'll continue to be interested in the MVP and CYA bids of the two Dodger stars.  Over the last 2-3 months of the season these races will really take shape and both figure to be in the discussion.  At the very least, the Dodgers will be interesting every fifth game, which is about how often they command an audience now.

Youth

It's hard to say when the kids will get playing time in the bigs.  A lot of this will be determined by movement at both trade and waiver deadlines.  If the team keeps Loney and the middle infielders we won't be seeing Dee and co. until september.  Sands is a candidate to return at any point but likely won't given the acquisition of Rivera and Gwynn playing like he wants to be tendered a contract.  Once they get here it will be fun to see what they can do.  We'll see about the wait.

Umm.... I guess that's it.  When I planned to write this post I could have sworn there was more.  The bankruptcy hearings might turn up something both good and substantial but that's not likely happen for quite some time.

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The second half of this losing season will provide plenty of opportunities for the Dodgers to lose well.  I doubt that Colletti is interested in pursuing these options, but I've been wrong before.

Newly cut veterans

Youth experience

Every year, especially around the trade deadline, struggling veteran players get cut from teams that have better options.  Recently, the Diamondbacks released Aaron Heilman.  Heilman had a god-awful 6.88 ERA this season with the majority of his bad outings coming at Chase Field.  Borrowing from a move made by the Rays with Brad Hawpe, the Dodgers could pick up Heilman for the minimum salary provided he agrees to turn down arbitration after the season.  He's barely removed from type B status and could pitch well enough to earn a job next spring.

If Heilman continues to struggle the Dodgers waste a pro-rated minimum salary.  But if Heilman rebounds the Dodgers pick up an early round draft pick, the type that frequently yields good to star quality players.

And while they are losing, they might as well give valuable playing time to Sands, Gordon, Robinson, Sellers, Webster, even Tolleson could get a look.

So... will the Dodgers lose well?  Stay tuned.

This is done. What's next?

Part 1: This is done.

With only twelve days until the trade deadline, the Dodgers are removing all doubt.  They will not compete this year despite the PR assertions from the front office.  The team is done.  Period.  Double period.

Before this year started, Colletti assembled a team that would compete only if everything went right.  Matt Kemp had to bounce back and he has, remarkably.  Ethier, who performed terribly down the stretch in 2010 looks resurgent.  To win, the Dodger starters would have to carry the load almost every night.  That's also been the case.  End of list.  Through the first four months of the season the Dodgers have underperformed (or performed exactly as expected) in every other way.  The relievers, the catchers, the offseason additions - even Donnie Baseball has managed the club out of a couple tight games (see the Navarro Pinch Hitting Phenomenon).  In a way, this hasn't only been the season many of us expected but also one we have been awaiting.

The Dodgers' failures are contributing to the ownership debacle and are supporting Selig's bid to oust McCourt.  With the team out of contentions, they could pick up prospects to restock the farm and begin the youth movement.  We all benefit and get to watch Gordon, Robinson, and co. for the rest of the season.  Hooray!

....

The problem?  It is not as satisfying as it should be.  McCourt hasn't been vanquished yet and his scorched earth tactics are ruining the schadenfreude we should all be experiencing.  The great Dodger firesale of 2011 looks like it might not happen at all due to injuries and a lack of competent, tradeable talent.  The few trades that might happen could be salary dumps, much to our chagrin.  With a full roster, the kids won't have a chance to play.

These Dodgers guarantee that fans will be either disgruntled or bored.

Part 2: coming soon

2010