Jimmy Rollins MVP round up
Jimmy Rollins is your 2007 NL MVP. We’ve already told you who we think should have won. Here’s what all the other blogs are saying about J-Ro.
- The 700 Level is predictably giddy.
- Today was “Jimmy Rollins Day” at Bugs and Cranks. Seriously.
- Vegas Watch is incredulous.
“Four of the voters didn’t have Wright on their ballot. Four people, whose job it is to write about baseball, did not think that David Wright was one of the ten most valuable players in the National League.”
- Joe Sheehan blogged on both Baseball Prospectus and SI that the MVP Award has morphed into the Most Valuable Copy Award. He thinks David Wright should have won.
- The ESPN writers mostly picked Rollins.
- Mets Blog thinks the baseball writers were correct and that the Mets’ collapse should cost Wright. I didn’t expect that.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Do I need to make a no-google pledge here? I think it was Andre Dawson with the Cubs, sometime in the mid-80’s?
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October 30th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Obviously, I made this one a little too easy. Andre Dawson is correct.
On a sidenote, wasn’t Andre Dawson awesome? And isn’t “The Hawk” a really cool nickname?
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October 30th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I had an Andre Dawson toothbrush. It was shaped like a baseball bat and came with a baseball card.
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October 30th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Yes indeed, Doogan, “Trivia Time” is also colloquially known around the UmpBump.com offices as “Please Don’t Just Go Google This, That’s Not Why We Post These Time”.
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October 30th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Holy crap. We have offices?!?!
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October 30th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Yeah… About those offices… Ummm… Have I not been alerted to its whereabouts because I’m the new guy?
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October 30th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
“The Hawk” is not only a cool nickname but a guy that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He was a 5 tool player that excelled in relative obscurity in Montreal. He got that MVP when he was with the Cubs and probably would have had a much longer career if his knees hadn’t taken such a pounding on the Expos’ artificial turf.
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October 30th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Dawson wasn’t really a five tool guy. He averaged something like 5 SBs a year. And his defense really declined due to injuries mid-way through his career. Plus, if he’d made the Hall of Fame, he’d have the worst career OBP of any Hall-of-Famer who didn’t play middle infield. And this is coming from a guy who was a fan of Hawk growing up.
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October 30th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Paul, I was surprised when I heard this a while back as well, but you’re way off on 5 SB’s a year. Over his first 7 seasons he actually averaged like 30 steals a year. That was news to me, as I’m only old enough to remember him in the late-80’s and 90’s when he looked like he could barely make it around the bases on home run trots. The OBP would be a knock on him though.
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October 30th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that he averaged 5 SB’s a year. If he averaged 5 SB’s, that means he must have stolen a bunch early in his career, because I know he didn’t steal a damn thing towards the end.
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October 30th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Whoops, you’re right, Doogan. My bad.
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October 30th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
Dawson is one of only six players to have over 300 stolen bases and 300 home runs for his career. He’s the only player eligible for the Hall of Fame with over 1000 extra base hits. He played stellar defense in Wrigley which is considered to be one of the toughest due to the wind and unique dimensions. An 8 time gold glove winner and 8 all-star appearances. He won the MVP once and finished 2nd in the voting twice. Unfortunately his first 11 seasons, when he was probably at his best, he was in Montreal. He was the best at his position for almost 10 years and deserves to be in the Hall.
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October 30th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Melissa, I agree with you! I actually wrote a post supporting Dawson for the hall a while back…
If I Had a Hall of Fame Ballot
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November 20th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Metsblog\’s opinions? Honestly, no one should listen to them.
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November 21st, 2007 at 8:39 am
So last year, you wanted Pujols to win, and this year you pick Holliday? Have you learned nothing from the Godfather? Never takes sides against the family, Ward. We’re revoking your fanhood.
We can only hope you’re rooting for Troy Tulowitzki next year so Chase Utley can pick up the trifecta.
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November 21st, 2007 at 10:30 am
Most in the Sabermetrics crowd picked David Wright as the NL MVP, and it’s not surprising why. Wright is just slightly less of a speed weapon and plays pristine defense (like Rollins).
The separating factor between the two, though, is offense. It’s not even close. Wright does the two things a hitter is paid to do — get on base and slug — better than Rollins.
In fact, even as a Phillies fan, Rollins barely makes it onto my top-ten list for the NL MVP.
That said, I’m elated another Phillie has won the award and couldn’t be happier for Jimmy. All of us in Philly are awaiting the trifecta when Chase Utley wins the award next season.
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November 21st, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Bill, I’m having trouble getting excited about Rollins winning an award he shouldn’t have won. It’s a decision I can’t agree with and it’s a group of voters I have lost all faith in.
Jimmy’s my favorite player. I think it’s great he’s being honored. But he’d have remained my favorite player had someone else won MVP, and the net result of the award going to Rollins — after it went to the wrong guy last year — is that I’m convinced that the award is arbitrary and therefore somewhat meaningless. We’ve taken the “most” out of most valuable player.
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November 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm
As Bill said, I’m a Phils fan who thought Wright should’ve won, but I’m still selfishly happy about hte Rollins vote.
Still, I wrote my opinion here: http://hugetinymistake.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/jimmy-rollins-wins-the-nl-mvpdid-he-deserve-it/#comment-17999
It’s mostly numbers-oriented, so beware if you hate OPS or EQA or Win shares
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December 25th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
In all seriosness you mets fans in disguise have gone too far. Even if the Mets haddent got thier asses beat at the end of the season and they made the playoffs David wright didn’t even come close. If the Mets made the playoffs it wouldn’t have been Rollins but he still would have been way closer than Wright.
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