2013 Red Sox MVP

[Thunder]

Who is your vote for the best Red Sox player this year? In May, Buchholz looked like he might be a lock for AL Cy Young, but then got hurt at the game I was at. Not going to put up a poll because there really are so many possible choices.

[sk7326]

If you want to go with value creation, it'd be Ellsbury or Pedroia. Can't go wrong with either - though for me Ellsbury has been a wee bit better. Ortiz is way up there too, but it's still value only being created on one end of the field so to speak.

 

If you look at it from an exceeds expectations perspective - Nava proving that he is at worst a legitimate piece of a credible corner outfield platoon is one, and obviously Koji Uehara's ability to be healthy has been the other. Lackey has been remarkable as well.

 

Really this season has been a triumph of the middle of the bell curve. Last 2 seasons literally every out of the blue bad thing that could happen to this team happened. Yes, some of the wounds were self inflicted, but you just look at average expectations for this roster and these baseball players, and the 7 months before April 2013 really needed a ton to go wrong. This year has been our good players being good again, and the injury bug not being so debilitating.

[Emmz]

Ortiz has been the best hitter, Ellsbury has been the best overall, Carp has been the biggest surprise and John Lackey gets a lot of credit for the way he's come back, shutting up some of the people who were saying that he's a cancer or that he was never going to be good again.

 

This team has been a group effort more than any one player standing out.

[SoxFanForsyth]

You could easily make an argument for Uehara. He's been outrageously good this year.

[Thunder]

You could easily make an argument for Uehara. He's been outrageously good this year.

 

This is why this could be an interesting argument. You could make the case for Uehara, Ellsbury, Nava, Ortiz, etc..

[mvp 78]

Gomes. Without his beard they'd be under .500.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

 

This team has been a group effort more than any one player standing out.

 

This.

 

 

If I had to choose, maybe Ellsbury. Too many to choose from though

[Emmz]

Gomes. Without his beard they'd be under .500.

 

This is undeniably true.

[Thunder]

Gomes. Without his beard they'd be under .500.

 

Thus my avatar.

[Jasonbay44]

I would have to go with Ortiz.

[SCM33]

Pedroia.

 

He is the glue that keeps it together.

[Station 13]

Ellsbury

 

then Koji, brought order to chaos

[Thunder]

Ellsbury

 

then Koji, brought order to chaos

 

I couldn't agree more with this post.

[Behindenemylines]

I don't know if you can point to just one player as the MVP. You can make a case for a handful of Sox, but they really have won as a team. That is probably why they have been winning, because they don't have a single player carrying them and it has been a team effort.

[Thunder]

I don't know if you can point to just one player as the MVP. You can make a case for a handful of Sox, but they really have won as a team. That is probably why they have been winning, because they don't have a single player carrying them and it has been a team effort.

 

That's true. It's also probably the reason why the Dodgers have gone on this ridiculous stretch of wins.

[Thunder]

Victorino definitely has my vote after this last week, and Napoli is close behind.

[Behindenemylines]

Where would the Sox be without Uehara? Even though the Sox have been winning because of a team effort I think he has been the difference from the Sox being in the hunt, to being 7 plus games in the AL East.

[User Name]

64.1 ip, 1.12 era, 0.59 whip, 12.5 k/9, 9.89 k/bb

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Video game numbers for Koji.

[Station 13]

dat ERA, WHIP, K/9, K/BB

[BornToRun]

I think I have to say Shane at this point. He's been much better than expected with the bat and has been flat out boner inducing with the glove.

[Orange Juiced]

I think the Sox have a number of candidates for this "honor" (not even sure if the team hands out an award for this):

 

Ortiz: .311/.396/.560/.956, 156 ops+, 26 hr, 89 rbi, 3.9 bWAR

Victorino: .295/.352/.456/.808, 118 ops+, 14 hr, 56 rbi, 5.6 bWAR

Ellsbury: .299/.355/.424/.779, 111 ops+, 52 sb, 5.4 bWAR

Pedroia: .299/.374/.414/.788, 114 ops+, 16 sb, 78 rbi, 5.5 bWAR

Uehara: 3-0, 18 sv, 1.12 era, 376 era+, 0.59 whip, 12.5 k/9, 3.3 bWAR, but really stabilized the bullpen after Bailey and Hanrahan went down and they had no closer

 

Tough call from among this group of guys, really.

[jung]

Shane in a near dead heat over Ueh. I honestly don't think anybody else comes close to those two though.

[Bellhorn04]

Stephen Drew.

 

Well no, I don't really believe that. But I think I might be getting gay for the guy. Gotta love a shortstop who can hit rockets from the left side and deliver in the clutch.

[Palodios]

Who would have thought Victorino was leading the team in WAR? His defense has been spectacular, but David Ortiz is the one guy this team simply cannot be without.

[jung]

Ortiz to me is critical in the lineup but nobody else the Sox have can even play in Fenway's RF nor even RF generally. Nava is a joke out there regardless of what his supports suggest. Ells has no arm and would not be able to play RF. Those two guys are the only two players that have been on the 2013 25 man for any length of time that could even play a few games in RF without totally embarrassing themselves. Not only does Vic play out there but he has made significant contributions to run prevention from out there to combine with his contributions at the plate.

 

In Ueh's case, while I would never recommend spending big bucks for a closer nor even arriving at a closer by bidding for one, nobody else on this roster would have been able to close for any length of time with the possible exception of Taz who would not have held up. Not only has Ueh excelled there, he is the only option the Sox have there.

 

If some combination of other players went down and out of the lineup at the same time, the Sox would really miss Ortiz. But in truth they already went without Ortiz for a period early this year.

 

I don't think anybody else on the Sox could have fit the roles that Vic and Ueh have played this year even competently let alone exceptionally which to me is what creates such a gap between those two players and anybody else.

[Thunder]

This really makes me wonder what Buchholz would have done if he hadn't gotten hurt. Definitely would've competed with Scherzer for Cy Young. I think his injury opened the door for a lot of players to shine.

[Palodios]

This really makes me wonder what Buchholz would have done if he hadn't gotten hurt. Definitely would've competed with Scherzer for Cy Young. I think his injury opened the door for a lot of players to shine.

 

Too many whatifs in that situation. They wouldn't have needed Peavy so maybe they picked up another reliever. Maybe they still have the Iggy/WMB/XB/Drew logjam on the left side.

[Youk Of The Nation]

At this point it's looking like Cherington is the MVP for the Red Sox Edited September 8, 2013 by Youk Of The Nation

[Thunder]

Too many whatifs in that situation. They wouldn't have needed Peavy so maybe they picked up another reliever. Maybe they still have the Iggy/WMB/XB/Drew logjam on the left side.

 

Bogaerts may not even be here.