NL MVP Pick!!

The winner of the 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Award will be announced later today, in less than an hour, in fact. The early returns suggest the race is very close and coming down to the wire. This should be no surprise to anyone who watched baseball at all this year. When the discussion about the National League's MVP is started, the list is not very long. Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols have seperated themselves from the rest of the pack, which is amazing considering the amount of quality seasons that were had in the NL. There has been alot of talk about the dominance of the AL over the NL, but the MVP races (and the World Series outcome) suggest the gap is not as wide as previously thought. Players like Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and others had tremendous seasons, but none of them will be close to the top in MVP voting. Soriano was a legitimate 40-40 player, without the stain of a steroid scandal like Jose Canseco, and he probably won't get a single first place vote for MVP!! When the list of MVP candidates is closely compared the NL field is revealed to be much stronger and deeper. Without further ado, let us dive into the debate over the most valuable player in the National League. Albert Pujols played for the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and while postseason success has no bearing on the MVP voting, the fact that Pujols' Cardinals did make the postseason will factor in the vote positively for him; rightly or wrongly, the voters value a postseason berth in selecting an MVP. Since the Phillies and Cardinals had such similar records this year, I do not believe it is correct to use team success as a measure of value this year. Ryan Howard hit 58 home runs this year and and had 149 RBIs. His batting average/on base/slugging splits were very impressive, coming in at .313/.425/.659. for an OPS of 1.084. These stats are all insane!! His EQA, which measures offensive performance relative to the rest of the major leagues, was an astounding .340! For reference, an average EQA is around .260 and a good player will be above .300. In addition to all of this, Howard contributed directly to 8.6 Phillies wins this year, a figured totaled by his WARP. These numbers, again, are insane, and Howard certainly is worthy of all the credit he deserves as a fine player, especially in only his second season as an everyday player. Despite all of these great numbers, there is one player who can meet and top them all. Albert Pujols is simply the most dominant player in the Majors right now, and may very well go down in history as the most dominant player of this decade. Pujols had another year that just adds to growing legend as a wonderful hitter and overall player. The biggest thing against Pujols is that he trails Ryan Howard in the most obvious and highly quoted stats. Albert hit a career high 49 home runs and had 137 RBIs. These numbers are impressive but are surpassed by Howard's numbers in these categories. After that, it becomes all Albert. Pujols had splits this year of .331/.431/.671, for a ridiculous OPS of 1.102. The edge in these stats goes to Pujols by a bigger margin than you might think if you only watched ESPN. Albert also put up these stats while playing at the new Busch Stadium, a considerably more pitcher-friendly park than the Phillie's Citizen's Bank Ballpark. This difference is reflected in EQA and WARP, which take ball park effect into condsideration. Remember Howard's unholy EQA of .340? Albert Pujols had an even more disturbing EQA of .350!!! The difference in value becomes even more apparent when win shares are compared. Ryan Howard's WARP was 8.6 wins, meaning he contributed directly to that many wins for the Phillies. Albert Pujols had a WARP of 11.9! Pujols earned nearly 12 wins for the Cardinals over the course of the year, three more than Ryan Howard contributed to the Phillies. There's even more to it than pure hitting. A stat like WARP also takes defensive ability into account. By all accounts, Ryan Howard is a terrible first baseman, and Albert Pujols is one of the best in the game, winning his first Gold Glove earlier this year. Also, while neither one of these players would ever be called fast, Howard looks like his feet are stuck in lead, while Albert is one of the best baserunners in the game, especially among first basemen. Since these two candidates play the same position, it is easier to compare their production. Both players has marvelous years, but one really set himself apart. This might be one of the tightest races in years, but it shouldn't be. Albert Pujols proved his value to the Cardinals over the course of the year and the stats back up his status as the game's best overall player. He has the stats, the pedigree, and the overall ability in his favor. Your 2006 National League MVP should be......ALBERT PUJOLS. Hot Stove stuff to follow, as well as an introduction by our other contributors.