Ok I dont know if this is worthy of a fanpost, so I apologize if it isn't
1) I guess the first question is more about the statistic known as Range Factor. I was reading Carlos Pena's Wikipedia entry and stumbled upon this..."In 2007, he had the lowest range factor of all AL league first basemen, 8.73."...so seeing how I dont know much about Range Factor as a measuring stick, but I do know that Carlos Pena is highly athletic for a 1B and has atleast better than average lateral movement at the position, I searched the exact definition of Range Factor. I found this..."It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...some positions (especially first baseman) may have substantially more putouts because of a superior infield around them, that commits fewer errors and turns many double plays, allowing them to receive credit for more putouts."
So I guess my question is, was Carlos Pena's Range Factor negatively effected by the worst defensive infield in baseball that year, or is something else wrong with Range Factor as a statistic to accurately judge someones defensive skills? I dont want to discard that stats relevance, but I was shocked when I read that about Carlos Pena
2) Would Carlos Pena's 2007 season have earned him the MVP award over Dustin Pedroia in 2008? Pena hit .282 46 HR 121 RBI had a .411 OBP and a .627 SLG % to go along with 103 walks and great defense. He only had 490 ABs in about 135 games started and couldve reasonably hit 50 HR with 140 RBI over a full year
Pedroia had 110 more plate appearances in 2008 than Pena had in 2007. He hit .326 17 HR 83 RBI had a .376 OBP and a .493 SLG % to go along with 50 walks and great defense
3. Should Carlos Pena be invited to the World Baseball Classic to back up Albert Pujols for the DR?