Rays Roundup: Shields For MVP Edition

I know, I know - there's no way in heck James Shields is getting the MVP award. And there's no way most voters are going to rank him much higher than the middle of the ballot, at best. But, I do think he has a valid case for the team MVP award and I would have no problem if he got it.

And apparently, Mark Simon seems to think similarly. He put a post up last week on Shields' MVP case, and it's worth the read. Not as if anyone should need a reminder on how awesome Shields has been, but it's fun to relish in his success all the same.

As for some other good reads...

• While we're talking about the MVP, we're doing an "Official Position" series over at FanGraphs this week, helping clarify the discussion on how you should use sabermetric stats in award season debates and voting. Matt Klaassen kicked it off by talking about the MVP Award and WAR. This shouldn't spark off any debate.
• Lucas Apostoleris took a look at Matt Moore's Pitch F/x data over at FanGraphs, and he likes what he sees (who doesn't?). His analysis jives with everything we've been saying here, although I especially like his note about Moore's curveball being a "lethal strikeout pitch."