If you haven’t know for at least a month that Joe Mauer would win the AL MVP award, then you aren’t a baseball fan. Not saying that’s a bad thing, I’m just curious why someone who knows so little about the game would be reading a Will Ferrell influenced Yankee blog. Anyways, Mauer officially wont it today, collect all but one first place vote. That stray vote went to Miguel Cabrera from Keizo Konishi of the Kyodo News. Haven’t heard of him/his paper? It’s probably because Konishi’s “baseball knowledge” is remarkably less than my “Antartica knowledge.” By the way, I know nothing about Antarctica other than the fact that it is cold.

Mr. Konishi, I’ve got some bullet points for you.

  • .365/.444/.587 line for Mauer. .324/.396/.547 line for Cabrera. Yes, Mauer beats Cabrera in those categories by .041, .048, and .040 points respectively. That’s a big deal.
  • In 523 at-bats, Mauer struck out 63 times. In 611 at-bats, Cabrera struck out 106 times. That means that Mauer struck out once over every 8.3 at-bats, while Miggy struck out once every 5.76 at-bats.
  • In September and October, as the Twins and Tigers battled it out for the AL Central crown, Mauer hit .358/.460/.505. Meanwhile, Cabrera hit .305/.408/.505.
  • Before Game 163 (a play-in game that counts for the season, and thus makes it a factor in the MVP voting), Miguel Cabrera got in a fight with his wife, got drunk, and the police were beckoned to his home. Great message to send to your teammates: “I know the biggest game of the year is later today, but I’ve got bigger things to worry about, like the number of alcoholic beverages in my fridge and beating my wife.” Mauer, on the other hand, was an outstanding role model and leader for his club all year long. He’s almost Jeter-y.
  • Joe Mauer’s WAR (wins above replacement) was 8.2. Cabrera’s was 5.4.
  • Mauer won a gold glove as a catcher. Cabrera won no such award.
  • Mauer won the silver slugger for his position. Cabrera did not.
  • Mauer’s team made the playoffs. Cabrera’s did not.
  • Joe Mauer has cool sideburns. Cabrera does not.

I think I’ve made my point. There is no possible justification, by any stretch of the imagination, for voting for Miguel Cabrera over Mauer. Defensively? Nope. Offensively? Nope. Leadership? Nope. Team success? Nope. The “where would the team be without him” factor? Nope. Mauer deserved the honor of being a unanimous MVP selection. It’s guys like Konishi that give journalists a bad name. Between his big mis-vote, George King III.’s made-up rumors, Dayn Perry’s vehement anti-Yankee sentiment and lack of fact-checking prior to publishing, sportswriters are disappointing their readers more and more. Here’s to the Joe Posnanskis, Peter Abrahams, Nick Cafardos, Rick Reillys, and Buster Olneys of the world who actually know what they’re talking about, and present their thoughts in well-thought-out, organized, interesting articles and blog posts. To the Konishis, Perrys, and Tom Haudricourts of the world: try to get your acts together.