Mookie Betts’ remarkable season

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Mookie Betts had a 2016 for the ages. Since 1901, here are the only guys to post 29+ fielding runs and 29+ batting runs. As with Mookie this year, most of these guys didn’t win their league MVP award.

Rk          Player Year Rbat Rfield Age  Tm     Pos
1     Mookie Betts 2016 29.8   32.0  23 BOS    *9/H
2      Chase Utley 2008 30.0   31.0  29 PHI    *4/3
3    Albert Pujols 2007 51.3   31.0  27 STL    *3/H
4      Scott Rolen 2004 40.2   30.0  29 STL      *5
5    Ichiro Suzuki 2004 35.7   30.0  30 SEA   *9/DH
6      Ken Griffey 1996 39.8   32.3  26 SEA    *8/D
7        Al Kaline 1961 39.3   29.2  26 DET *98/H75

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Ely Sussman

8 years ago

Hey, check it out!! We have the site up and running again!

John Bowen

8 years ago

Actually none of those guys won the MVP. Mookie Betts placed 2nd to the best player on Earth. It was probably the best season by an AL player not named Mike Trout since ARod’s 2007 season. Utley not winning was hardly a travesty given what Pujols produced. The travesty was that he placed behind his teammate Ryan Howard, who amassed a mighty 1.8 WAR. Pujols had his most pedestrian season with the bat in 2007. He actually led the league in WAR that year too though (I think I would’ve had him second to Wright, but that’s just me. Rolen… Read more »

Hartvig

8 years ago

Reply to John Bowen

Utley not only finished behind Howard but the even less valuable Carlos Delgado as well as Aramis Ramirez who put up an essentially identical triple crown slash line to go with his ham-fisted defense at 3rd. And a dozen other guys as well. And while I can see a case for a few guys besides Pujols in ’07 Howard and Price Fielder- both of whom finished higher in the voting than he did- ain’t among them. The ’04 NL voting is actually pretty reasonable the AL not so much. I can understand their undervaluing Ichiro but how on earth did… Read more »

David P

8 years ago

Reply to Hartvig

Hartvig –

Seems pretty clear that the ’96 and ’04 AL MVP votes were about being on winning/playoff teams.

What I find strange about ’04 is Sheffield finishing 2nd and A-Rod finishing 14th. They played for the same team and had nearly identical Triple Crown stats. The big difference is that A-Rod played the more important defensive position and went 28-32 in steals. So why did he finish so far behind Sheffeld???

oneblankspace

8 years ago

Kaline was up against four players (including two of his teammates) with 40+ HR.

Doug

8 years ago

Not a huge surprise that only two of these seasons pre-date the current defensive metrics introduced (I think) in 2003 that award defensive runs saved based on context in which a defensive play is made or not made (for example, you can get almost 4 runs saved for one catch, if it’s an over-the-fence snag with the bases loaded). Makes Griffey’s and especially Kaline’s seasons (Griffey ‘s had the benefit of actual zone data) that much more impressive. As an example of the difference between the old and new stats, these are the Rfield totals for these seasons using the… Read more »

mosc

8 years ago

Reply to Doug

I still kind of prefer the old metrics.

mosc

8 years ago

I feel like RFIELD is still a pretty poor approximation. I’ve been looking at it more on a three year average. It’s hard with Betts because he’s young but I’d like to see his 2017 look something like his 2016 to really feel like this year’s fielding was that historic. His bat gets too much attention in triple crown stats because of the ballpark factor and the guys hitting around him but I suppose that compensates for the all-around value he brings that doesn’t get reflected in his batting line. I don’t think he’ll maintain anything like his 2016 going… Read more »

Jeff B

8 years ago

Mookie Betts deserved to win the MVP, but the writers love Trout’s hollow numbers year after year.

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Doug

8 years ago

Reply to Jeff B

Not sure that “hollow” is the right word to describe Trout’s season.

But, MVP voting has surely changed from the days when you had to be playing on a pennant winner or strong contender to get any serious consideration. That said, winning an MVP playing on a 74-88 team is still pretty unusual. A-Rod did it for the 71-91 Rangers in 2003, and Andre Dawson for the 76-85 Cubs in 1987, Any others like that?

Paul E

8 years ago

Reply to Doug

weren’t the Cubs pretty mediocre when Banks won in the late fifties?

Doug

8 years ago

Reply to Paul E

Indeed they were. I guess Banks was the exception that proved the rule; voters may have departed from their normal practice when they realized that if they waited for the Cubs to be a contender before recognizing Banks, it would probably be too late.

Paul E

8 years ago

Reply to Doug

….and, while we’re talking Cubs, I believe Sauer’s teammates weren’t exactly the ’27 Yankees

Hartvig

8 years ago

Reply to Paul E

You don’t think Eddie Miksis would have push aside Tony Lazzeri?