I should start this post by saying it is probably the most painful piece I will write. As a fan of the New York Yankees, it is bad enough that the Red Sox won the World Series, that Nathan Eovaldi played a huge role, that Steve Pearce continues to play well for every AL East team except the Yankees, and that Mookie Betts won the 2018 MVP award. However, what makes it worse, is that I believe it is absolutely outrageous that J.D. Martinez was not among the three finalists for the award.
J.D. Martinez nearly won the American League Triple Crown yet was undeserving to be a finalist for MVP?! The finalists for the award were Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians. All three players had a higher WAR than Martinez which appears to be the main reason why he was snubbed from this list. The wins above replacement figure can be an important stat in determining just how valuable a player is to his team, but should it be the only statistic? JD ranked in the top five in the traditional major offensive categories and was the key addition made by the Red Sox last off season to finally replace the whole in their lineup left by David Ortiz and to eventually propel them to win 108 games.
The Red Sox won 108 games and the American League East, the Indians won 91 games and the American League Central, and the Angels won 80 games and finished in fourth place in the American League West. Which one of those teams don’t belong? If you picked the Angels, then we are on the same page. Mike Trout has a very real possibility of being regarded as the best baseball player ever, but he had no business being in the conversation for MVP this season. His season statistics were incredible as they always are, and he sported a WAR over 10. As a general rule for those who do not know, if a player’s wins above replacement is 2+, the player is considered worthy of being a starter and a WAR of 8+ is considered to be MVP level. So, Mike Trout’s team won 80 games and came in fourth place in the division, if he did not play, they would have won 70 games and still finished fourth place in the division and obviously still miss the playoffs.
Like I said this is painful for me to write because I love Mike Trout and hate everyone who puts on a Red Sox jersey, but it needs to be said. What was Mike Trout more valuable towards than J.D. Martinez? Mediocrity? J.D. Martinez led the Red Sox to 108 regular season wins. The MVP award is not a popularity contest, it does not have to be given to the best player, it does not have to go to the player with the best statistics. I am not preaching J.D. Martinez had to win this award over Mookie Betts, but for him to not even be in the discussion was pure blasphemy.
