Why Derek Jeter Is The MVP.

"If this year's race was a political election, Boston's David Ortiz (47 homers, 121 RBI) and the White Sox's Jermaine Dye (40-109) would be the mainstream party candidates while Jeter - who enters this weekend's series in Baltimore with just 12 homers and 85 RBI - would be running as an independent."

Travis Hafner (42 homers, 117 RBI) would be ... I don't know ... the Forgotten Third-Party Candidate.


"Jeter, with a .344 average, is in a race for the batting title with Minnesota's Joe Mauer but otherwise isn't much of a factor on the AL leaderboards. His value is more intangible, it seems, and to win he'll need voters to look beyond the raw data."

Why does Sam Borden assume that Joe Mauer doesn't bring intangible values to the Minnesota Twins? David Ortiz doesn't bring leadership values to the Red Sox? Jermaine Dye hasn't stirred up his teammates before each and every game with a clubhouse speech?


"The success of the Yankees could end up being a factor in the race, too. And Ortiz's candidacy figures to be hurt by the Sox's rapid collapse over the past few weeks."

I think Ortiz's candidacy was hurt more by his trip to the hospital. During that time, Ortiz was 0-for-0 with 0 hrs and 0 runs batted in.


" 'That has to count,' Posada said. 'Playing in meaningful games for the last month makes a difference. There is more pressure. Without that, how valuable is someone, really?' "

Am I the only person who finds it odd that nobody can think of a candidate from the team with the best record in the league? Magglio Ordonez just doesn't have enough intangibles?

Also, while I believe that Posada was stumping for Jeter, the point about playing in meaningful September games actually helps the cases for Mauer, Morneau, and Dye more than it helps the case for Jeter.


"Still, stats aren't the basis for Jeter's candidacy anyway. Fifty-six years ago when Phil Rizzuto won the MVP - the last Yankee shortstop to do so - he beat out a deep field (including Yogi Berra) that in many cases had better numbers."

Can we all please get something straight once and for all?

A gold glove shortstop (he might earn it this year legitimately) who bats .340 with speed and power, walks a lot, scores 120 runs and drives in 100 is making a very strong stat-based argument for MVP.

That's why he's the MVP, if he's the MVP.

It's not because of the way he stands on the top step of the dugout.