AL Most Valuable Player Race: Give Longoria and Crawford Some Love

by Steve Slowinski on Aug 20, 2010 4:30 PM EDT

I know it's early, but I've already seen a couple articles floating around this week that talk about the MVP race. Nowhere have I seen the names of Crawford or Longoria brought up, so I want to float this by people real quick:

	rWAR*
Robinson Cano	6.2
Evan Longoria	5.9
Miguel Cabrera	5.6
Justin Morneau	5.3
Adrian Beltre	4.9

*Wins Above Replacement numbers from Baseball-Reference.

	fWAR**
Josh Hamilton	6.6
Robinson Cano	5.8
Adrian Beltre	5.7
Evan Longoria	5.6
Carl Crawford	5.6

**Wins Above Replacement numbers from FanGraphs.

Yes, there are two different versions of WAR: one at Baseball-Reference and one at FanGraphs. The only significant difference between the two is how they calculate defensive value (FanGraphs uses UZR, while B-R uses Total Zone), so they give us two different looks at a player's value. As you can see above, they agree quite frequently.

Obviously, the season doesn't end today. I don't know if Longoria or Crawford deserve to win the MVP award - they have stiff competition from Hamilton, Cano, and Miggy - but they should at least be in the discussion. If you take either of them out of the line-up, the Rays' offense takes a significant hit. I know the Rays get looked over frequently because they're in the same division as Boston and the Yankees, but Longoria and Crawford are having great seasons and deserve recognition. Don't forget about them!

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If Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, the discussion is pretty much over

I really think Crawford deserves it this year, but my money’s on either Cano or Hamilton winning right at the moment.

Nicknames for Benoit-Soriano? How about ‘one and done’ describing the length of time they’re likely to be Rays

by sternfan1 on Jul 25, 2010 4:01 AM PDT

by IntrepidX on Aug 20, 2010 4:40 PM EDT reply actions

Cabrera won't win the Triple Crown

He won’t get enough chances to hit.

It’s really down to Cano/Hamilton/Longoria depending who has the best 40 final games.

PIZZA?!?

by Transplanted on Aug 20, 2010 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Two ex Rays will be in the top five vote getters

follow me on twitter @sternfan10

by sternfan1 on Aug 20, 2010 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

Hamilton was never a Ray.

?Did she dead? The clowns make the girl go boom boom and she gets CUT and CUUUUUUT!? NOOOOOOO to the Tila I am so cry! ;( Somewon call the policia o 911. Tila Tila you so strong. You so brave. Clowns so wrong. Tila Tila sing my song, all the day.

by PlayOnWords on Aug 20, 2010 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Well you can call me Ray and you can call me...

follow me on twitter @sternfan10

by sternfan1 on Aug 20, 2010 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Betty

The caller said the boy, after removing the bulb from its socket, left the building and threw the bulb on the ground. When the bulb broke, the caller said the boy screamed "Free the slaves at traffic stops from false arrest and jury fixing"

by Top Gun Numba 1 on Aug 20, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Al

by Matt Slowinski on Aug 20, 2010 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions

But don't call me Shirley

PIZZA?!?

by Transplanted on Aug 20, 2010 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Shitley

If we consider ourselves a master team then we have to act like a master team, not degenerates.

Follow me: @SandyKazmir, read me @ Dockoftherays.com, feel me whenever you want.

by Sandy Kazmir on Aug 21, 2010 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Eh

He never played a game, but he was a Ray. At the very least, he was on the 25-man roster, stashed away on the suspended list, for a full season

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Aug 20, 2010 7:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Hamilton will win it

He’s white, and sports writers love whites.

We’d get so many kids off every game it was great.

Hey, Surly only looks out for one guy...Surly!
by Andy Hellicksonstine

by putupyourDUKES on Aug 20, 2010 5:37 PM EDT reply actions

But Cano is a Yankee, and the sports writers love the yankees.

Nicknames for Benoit-Soriano? How about ‘one and done’ describing the length of time they’re likely to be Rays

by sternfan1 on Jul 25, 2010 4:01 AM PDT

by IntrepidX on Aug 20, 2010 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

They will be so conflicted!

We’d get so many kids off every game it was great.

Hey, Surly only looks out for one guy...Surly!
by Andy Hellicksonstine

by putupyourDUKES on Aug 20, 2010 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

White trumps Black

Maddon's Mission
Make you want to kill him, then make you want to love him. Sly.

by Jonah Keri on Jun 19, 2010 10:31 PM EDT

by Doug09 on Aug 20, 2010 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Defense

As anyone who watched the all-star game can agree with, Cant-catch-cano doesn’t deserve to be in the running. SSS and all that… but the game’s a week long!

by PhD on Aug 20, 2010 5:47 PM EDT reply actions