Superb? Yes. MVP? No way

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© St. Petersburg Times
published September 26, 2002

Call Alex Rodriguez one of the most impressive players in baseball and few would argue otherwise.

Suggest he is having one of the greatest offensive seasons a shortstop has known and you would be master of the obvious.

Declare he is the most logical choice for the American League Most Valuable Player award and you would have gone too far.

With pennant races woefully lacking during the season's final week, this is the day's question. Is the MVP the player with the best statistics? Or is he something more?

Let the stat freaks shout. That is to be expected. When fantasy baseball has grown more meaningful than the real thing, perspective suffers.

So put on your incredulous face and pull out your stats. Tell us all about the RBIs (139) and the home runs (56). Don't forget the batting average (.302) and the defensive role (shortstop). Go deep into the numbers and explain slugging percentage and OPS as if the rest of us have never read Bill James.

And when you are done, consider this:

His team stinks.

The Rangers are in last place, 20 games away from the nearest team. As good as Rodriguez has been, the Rays are closer to getting out of the cellar with Chris Gomez as their shortstop.

You might ask if it is fair to hold a team's performance against a player?

And we might answer, frankly, yes.

This is the fundamental issue when it comes to the award. Do you give it to the best player or the one deemed most valuable? Do you calculate numbers or measure heart? Is it the level of ability or weight of effectiveness?

Remember the screeching last year when Vikings receiver Randy Moss declared he played hard only on his terms? Fans were outraged. This, they said, was the ultimate example of a player interested in his stats and not the team.

That, in a roundabout way, is why the MVP means more than stats.

While individual achievement is glorified, it should never take precedence over the welfare of a team.

This is not meant to disparage Rodriguez.

He did as much for the Rangers as one player could. But his team did not win, and that makes his season somehow less valuable than it might have been.

Give him the Henry Aaron Award as the league's top hitter. Give him a Silver Slugger award as the best hitting shortstop. Give him plenty of tax advice to help with his $252-million contract.

Just don't give him the MVP.

I am not suggesting Rodriguez should not be a candidate. And I know precedents have been set. Cal Ripken won an MVP with an awful Orioles team in 1991. Andre Dawson won with the last-place Cubs in '87.

In another situation, I would not be against handing the MVP to a player from a losing team. If there were no other quality choices and the player's stats were in the next stratosphere, you could make that case.

But that is not true this season.

Rodriguez has phenomenal numbers for a shortstop, but Alfonso Soriano's are nearly as impressive for a second baseman. And Soriano's season has helped the Yankees maintain their hold in the American League East.

Their batting averages are nearly identical. A-Rod has more homers and RBIs, but Soriano has scored more runs, stolen more bases and gotten more hits.

Now if you asked which player was a greater offensive force in 2002, I would honestly say Rodriguez.

But that's not what the MVP is about. If it were, then Jim Thome would be a candidate.

Talking strictly numbers, Thome has a batting average equivalent to Rodriguez, and his slugging percentage and on-base average (two of the most meaningful stats) are higher. But the Indians stink and Thome, as he should be, is an afterthought.

You see, more than any other sport, baseball awards recognize the intrinsic qualities of a player's performance.

Kirk Gibson won an MVP in 1988 with numbers (.290, 25 home runs, 76 RBI) barely above average. But his spunk carried the Dodgers to the World Series. The same is true for Terry Pendleton in 1991 (.319, 22, 86) with the Braves.

You think A-Rod would have a gripe?

Ted Williams hit .406 and led the league in home runs in 1941 and did not win the MVP. The Red Sox finished 17 games behind the Yankees, and the MVP went to Joe DiMaggio.

Look, this is not a referendum on Rodriguez's career. He is a superb talent and, at 27, no doubt will challenge for more MVP awards in the future.

But he will not win this year's triple crown. He will not come close to breaking Barry Bonds' home run record, and he will not hit .400.

He has had a great season but made no impact.

The MVP should count for just a little bit more.

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