Alex Rodriguez is pretty good, but ...

I think one of the more fascinating aspects of this year's AL MVP race is the fact that the leading candidate receives little support from his fan base or hometown writers. Ortiz probably gets "MVP" chants every time he bats in Boston, while Yankee fans groan every time ARod strikes out. Heck, there's probably some writer in Detroit who will vote for Jeremy Bonderman, just because.

There's some legitimacy to this trend. When a person watches a player every day, perhaps they have some additional insight into this player's true greatness. Usually, though, it's just an attempt to give a hometown player some recognition.

Maybe NY writers like Lupica just think it's cool to be contrarian:

"A-Rod is having a wonderful season, and might end up MVP of the American League, even if David Ortiz has clearly been the MVP in the season played so far."

Lupica is smarter than this. He knows why Alex Rodriguez is the MVP. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it.

Yesterday's game is actually a nice example. After an 0-for-4 night with 3 strikeouts, I was thinking that it was one of the few games where ARod actually didn't help the team win.

Then came the last play of the game.

Let's see Ortiz make that play at third, huh? Let's see Nettles make that play, come to think of it.


Now, this is one of the more puzzling Lupica arguments:

"But as the Yankees have started to play since the first of July, Giambi has been their biggest run producer.
...
Since July 1, Giambi has 25 home runs for the Yankees and 58 RBI. A-Rod has 23 and 50 since then, Matsui has 11 and 51, Sheffield has 15 and 47."

Lupica's Giambi-over-ARod argument is vapid for two main reasons:

(1) Since July 1, ARod has been more valuable than Giambi.

Same reasons he has been more valuable than Ortiz. Even if the Big Three stats are the most important, and even if you want extend the analysis to include my personal next Big Three (runs, on-base%, slugging%), then defense and baserunning still have to count for something.

(2) The first three months count.

Lupica has done most of the math himself.

If Giambi has 25 and 58 since July 1, then he had 5 and 22 before July 1.

If Rodriguez has 23 and 50 since July 1, then he had 20 and 56 before July 1.

The Yankees needed Giambi in the first half of the season, too. Giambi has definitely redeemed himself in the second half and has been a major part of the Yankee run. But he was pathetic in the first half of the season and those games count, too.

Lupica says if the Yankees make the playoffs, then Giambi deserves most of the credit. I say if the Yankees don't make the playoffs, Giambi deserves a lot of the blame.