Picking the Red Sox first half MVP. Too tough for me!

[bosoxmal]

If this continues on this way all year, I can be glad I am not the one to name the Red Sox 2016 MVP. I can think of 5, with good reason, and that’s without glancing at the roster. Numbers count, in my book, so does what we see and feel. Which makes it more difficult. In alphabetic order, I have Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Ortiz, Pedoia. I am old fashioned in giving the pitchers their own awards but, if someone insists, I might add Price, Wright and even Kimbrel.

 

Good grief, that’s 5, at least, and some people might say 8! If this flies, lets pick the winner by unanimous choice after the all-star game. (where all 8 belong)

Edited June 20, 2016 by bosoxmal

[Emp9]

Steven Wright got's my vote.

[moonslav59]

Papi's having his best career year.

 

2nd: Bogey

 

3rd: Wright

 

4th: JBJ

[Dojji]

Wright or Papi for me. Papi because of the retirement year if I had to choose one

[Bellhorn04]

It just doesn't matter. Wright, Papi, Bogey, JBJ and Betts all have been tremendous.

[Slasher9]

Wright / X-Bo

[mvp 78]

Ortiz. Wright only goes every 5th day. He's been dominant, but not Pedro 99-00 dominant.

[Kimmi]

It's such a difficult decision, and a good dilemma to have.

 

If I had to choose one, I'd go with Papi, but I can't really argue with other choices.

[jacksonianmarch]

Stevander Bratiz

[Spudboy]

Pablo Sandoval.

 

His failure and humiliation are huge. The way the Sox demoted him sent a message to all players that the Sox must see production from a player regardless of who they are and how much money is owed them.

[mvp 78]

Pablo Sandoval.

 

His failure and humiliation are huge. The way the Sox demoted him sent a message to all players that the Sox must see production from a player regardless of who they are and how much money is owed them.

 

Buchholz missed that memo, I guess?

[jacksonianmarch]

The shittiest thing as a Yankee fan is watching you guys bring up home grown talent, giving it time to blossom, and turning that talent into a force to be reckoned with. Your offensive core of Bogaerts, Bradley and Betts is insane, both defensively and offensively. Add in Shaw, who is looking like a true big leaguer and Vasquez, who is looking like a true defensive catalyst, and you have the offense/defense combo to be a force at least until free agency comes along.

[mvp 78]

The shittiest thing as a Yankee fan is watching you guys bring up home grown talent, giving it time to blossom, and turning that talent into a force to be reckoned with. Your offensive core of Bogaerts, Bradley and Betts is insane, both defensively and offensively. Add in Shaw, who is looking like a true big leaguer and Vasquez, who is looking like a true defensive catalyst, and you have the offense/defense combo to be a force at least until free agency comes along.

 

So basically what the Yanks did in the 90's?

[jacksonianmarch]

exactly. We allowed our talent to blossom while dealing off some talent for pieces around a core.

[Spudboy]

Buchholz missed that memo, I guess?

 

That lunkhead has missed many memos.

[Emp9]

When I think of the meaning of 'Most Valuable', I could see our offense getting by or being lets say 'respectable' without Ortiz considering our young emerging core. But I shudder with horror to think of what our pitching rotation would be like without Wright this season.

[Slasher9]

BTW - a month from now i reserve the right to change my answer to Clay.

[sk7326]

Has not been difficult - Xander has not just been the MVP of the Sox, but he has probably been the MVP of the American League

 

Last year he figured out how to spoil pitchers pitches by spraying singles - which is great, but it kept the power down

 

He has figured out now how to not just handle the pitches they are trying to get him out with, but to force them to give him ones to drive and then not missing.

[S5Dewey]

The shittiest thing as a Yankee fan is watching you guys bring up home grown talent, giving it time to blossom, and turning that talent into a force to be reckoned with. Your offensive core of Bogaerts, Bradley and Betts is insane, both defensively and offensively. Add in Shaw, who is looking like a true big leaguer and Vasquez, who is looking like a true defensive catalyst, and you have the offense/defense combo to be a force at least until free agency comes along.

 

IMO this has Dombrowski's fingerprints all over it. DD seems to like "D" almost as much as I do.

 

I have a feeling that were it not for JBJ's defense he would have been sent back to Pawtucket and considered trade bait. The reason they didn't do it is because of his defense and that they had no one else who played CF defense better than JBJ.

Vaz is there because of his defense, which is better than Swihart's although Swihart has a better offensive upside than Vaz does.

And as for Shaw, well, the only reason Travis Shaw got the shot at being a regular is because of Panda and it was too late to make a meaningful trade for a 3B. The Sox caught a break there.

[Youk Of The Nation]

The shittiest thing as a Yankee fan is watching you guys bring up home grown talent, giving it time to blossom, and turning that talent into a force to be reckoned with. Your offensive core of Bogaerts, Bradley and Betts is insane, both defensively and offensively. Add in Shaw, who is looking like a true big leaguer and Vasquez, who is looking like a true defensive catalyst, and you have the offense/defense combo to be a force at least until free agency comes along.

 

It is awesome, and knowing that it pisses off our resident Yankees fan is icing on the cake. Icing made of delicious Yankee fan tears.

[FredLynn]

Stephen Wright. Without him anchoring our top three SPs no amount of offense would have put us where we are right now.

[Kingface]

Papi with Xander a close second. I always knew that Xander would emerge as our best young prospect. Most thought Betts....and HE IS AWESOME.....but Xander gets him by a bit more than a nose.

[S5Dewey]

Stephen Wright. Without him anchoring our top three SPs no amount of offense would have put us where we are right now.

 

I agree. Let's not confuse "Most valuable" with "Most fun to watch".

 

All of those guys who are hitting the ball well are fun to watch but not any one of them is as valuable as Wright. Wright is 8-4 which is nice but it doesn't reflect how good it could have been if that ERA just North of 2.00 had worked out as well as it should have.

I look at it this way: If you replace any of the position players with the average player at their position and replace Wright with the average #5 pitcher in baseball (which is what Wright was supposed to be for us), where would this team be?

[sk7326]

I agree. Let's not confuse "Most valuable" with "Most fun to watch".

 

All of those guys who are hitting the ball well are fun to watch but not any one of them is as valuable as Wright. Wright is 8-4 which is nice but it doesn't reflect how good it could have been if that ERA just North of 2.00 had worked out as well as it should have.

I look at it this way: If you replace any of the position players with the average player at their position and replace Wright with the average #5 pitcher in baseball (which is what Wright was supposed to be for us), where would this team be?

 

Dead - because they'd be completely unable to score

[User Name]

It is awesome, and knowing that it pisses off our resident Yankees fan is icing on the cake. Icing made of delicious Yankee fan tears.

 

Delicious and nutritious.

[S5Dewey]

Dead - because they'd be completely unable to score

 

My bad. Maybe I wasn't clear about that. I meant to say that if you replaced any ONE of the position players with the average player at that position...... The remaining the Sox players would be expected to play as they are this year,

Edited June 20, 2016 by S5Dewey
Clarification

[sk7326]

My bad. Maybe I wasn't clear about that. I meant to say that if you replaced any ONE of the position players with the average player at that position...... The remaining the Sox players would be expected to play as they are this year,

 

Wright has been outstanding - probably #3 on my ballot. Fortunately baseball's individual contributions to the team are easier to glean than others. Bogaerts has been arguably the league's best player - and that trumps the rest for me.

[User Name]

By the numbers it's Bogaerts and it's not close.

[Bellhorn04]

bWAR sayeth:

 

Bogey 3.6

Bradley 3.3

Betts 3.3

Ortiz 3.3

 

(Donaldson leads AL at 4.0.)

[sk7326]

Bogaerts leads the majors among position players in fWAR at 4.1 - so either cut he's an elite MVP candidate so far.

 

Kershaw has led everybody with a Pedro-esque 4.9 so far.