Who is the Brewer's MVP?

[bork]

Someone asked me this yesterday and I really had to think about it. You could make a case for any of the top 5 guys. They've all had their ups and downs. I'd almost be inclined to say Weeks, given the numbers he's put up as a second baseman and lead off hitter.

[JohnBriggs12]

The MVP is Axford. Before he saved his first game on May 23, this team was a train wreck at 16-27. Since then they are a respectable 60-56, with the most consistent portion of the team being the back end of the bullpen.

 

Number 2 is Corey Hart, who's hot bat from mid May to mid June along with Axford at least stopped the bleeding.

[thebruce44]

I would say Weeks by a landslide. His season was just ridiculous.

 

#2 for me would be Yo. If he had gotten to 200 IP, he may have been the MVP. While one would hope his ERA would have been lower, his peripheral numbers (K/9 especially) are pretty great.

[sveumrules]

My Ballot

 

Weeks

YO

PRINCE

Braun

Hart

McGehee

Axford

[Principessa21]

The MVP is Axford. Before he saved his first game on May 23, this team was a train wreck at 16-27. Since then they are a respectable 60-56, with the most consistent portion of the team being the back end of the bullpen.

 

Number 2 is Corey Hart, who's hot bat from mid May to mid June along with Axford at least stopped the bleeding.

It would have to be an extreme example for me to vote a relief pitcher over a starter or everyday position player. It's most valuable, not most effective player.

[CheezWizHed]

His season was just ridiculous.

 

I can buy Weeks as Brewer MVP, but there have been a number of comments like this about Weeks' season that I just don't get. He had a nice season, but he wasn't the best 2B in the league nor was he the best hitter on the team. It was probably his best year, but still not drastically above his norms. Nothing I would term ridiculous (see Jose Bautista).

 

Personally, there was no MVP this year. Hart, Braun, Fielder, Weeks, McGehee, Yo and Ax were all pretty even. Maybe a touch lower for Ax due to number of innings, but his affect on the BP was undeniable. If I HAD to pick on, I'd pick Yo, as it would have had the most effect on the team by losing him (i.e. having 5 hitters carry most of the offense load would have softened the blow of losing one of them).

[PlayerHader]

It really isn't possible for a team to have no MVP. Even the worst team ever has an MVP. Some guy has got to be more valuable than the others on a subjective basis. Just thought that "there was no MVP this year" was a funny comment.

 

I'd go with Corey Hart.

[logan82]

Weeks.

[Crash2303]

Joe Piglett

[Outlander]

It would take a Cy Young type year for me to vote for a pitcher so I exclude them right off the bat.

If I was just looking at the final stats I might say Braun but he was so brutal in June and July and they never were serious playoff contenders in large part because of that. Fielder was good throughout the year and even though it is is probably just a fluke he was so bad with runners in scoring position and hit too many solo shots. Weeks numbers look good overall but only had a couple of really good months. That leaves Hart who I would say has the best overall numbers and was also the most consistent for the entire year which I consider quite an accomplishment for him. Hart is the MVP of this team.

[thebruce44]

His season was just ridiculous.

 

I can buy Weeks as Brewer MVP, but there have been a number of comments like this about Weeks' season that I just don't get. He had a nice season, but he wasn't the best 2B in the league nor was he the best hitter on the team. It was probably his best year, but still not drastically above his norms. Nothing I would term ridiculous (see Jose Bautista).

Maybe I exagerated a little bit with the term ridiculous, but his season would have been the 2nd or 3rd best for a second baseman each of the last 5 years. Take out Utley, (I know you can't do that) who in my opinion should be MVP almost every year, and he would be the best quite a few of those years.

[JohnBriggs12]

The MVP is Axford. Before he saved his first game on May 23, this team was a train wreck at 16-27. Since then they are a respectable 60-56, with the most consistent portion of the team being the back end of the bullpen.

 

Number 2 is Corey Hart, who's hot bat from mid May to mid June along with Axford at least stopped the bleeding.

It would have to be an extreme example for me to vote a relief pitcher over a starter or everyday position player. It's most valuable, not most effective player.

Exactly, this was a team with a .372 winning percentage when Axford took over closing and over .500 since and unlike any of the everyday players, he never had a slump. Normally, I'd rule out a closer too except in the most extreme circumstances, but Axford was more than your usual closer. He often went more than one inning. He stabilized a bullpen that was in shambles. It was much the same impact Rollie Fingers had in 1981 only Fingers took them from a slightly above .500 team to a playoff team. Axford took them from a team that was on pace to 65 wins to a team close to .500.

 

Weeks' numbers look an awful lot like Jose Hernandez' 2002 season. Yeah, he got a lot of RBI for a leadoff hitter, but the pitchers deserve a lot of credit for that for getting on base a lot.

[logan82]

That is a huge strawman argument against Weeks. Nobody used RBI's to in their argument for Weeks and I will go out on a limb and say that nobody would. You are one of a handful of people who actually uses RBI's for player evaluation and now you are arguing that they are attributable to somebody else because it doesn't fit your argument? Funny stuff.

[RockCoCougars]

I'd say that you could make a convincing argument for any of Axford, Weeks, Hart or Braun or even McGehee. I'm going with Rickie by a whisker over Hart and the AxMan.

[endaround]

Its Weeks.

[dlk9s]

Joe Piglett

Yeah, that was necessary.

[thebruce44]

That is a huge strawman argument against Weeks. Nobody used RBI's to in their argument for Weeks and I will go out on a limb and say that nobody would. You are one of a handful of people who actually uses RBI's for player evaluation and now you are arguing that they are attributable to somebody else because it doesn't fit your argument? Funny stuff.

Haha, I thought the same thing. I couldn't believe the poster that was coming from.

 

Exactly, this was a team with a .372 winning percentage when Axford took

over closing and over .500 since and unlike any of the everyday

players, he never had a slump.

 

There is so much more that goes into it than just Axford's arrival. That alone is not nearly enough to say he is MVP.

[TooLiveBrew]

It's probably Weeks, maybe Gallardo. The Axford mention is just... well, it's just not close to accurate.

[sveumrules]

It would take a Cy Young type year for me to vote for a pitcher so I exclude them right off the bat.

 

YO has faced 803 batters this year. Weeks has 741 plate appearances. Starting pitchers may only go once every five days but they exert far more influence over the outcome of that game than any of the position players. Obviously the position players play almost every day so they influence the outcomes of more games, but over the course of a whole season I believe a 200 IP starting pitcher has more overall influence than any single everyday position player.

[owbc]

There were plenty of contributors, but Corey Hart is the clear choice for MVP. The Brewers' improved record since mid-May was caused mostly by Hart, not Axford. He kept the Brewers afloat for almost a month when Fielder and Braun were both struggling. He was an all-star. He maintained his numbers with a solid second half.

 

Weeks is the runner-up with an equally solid season statistics-wise. However, he never dominated the headlines the way Hart did in June.

[BrewCrewForever]

For me it has been Hart. But Weeks, Braun and Axford are not far behind.

[ELCABALLO45]

1. Weeks

2. Hart

3. Fielder

[bando1234]

I have to agree with JB on this one. I would give it to Axford. Im curious to see where he will end up in the ROY voting.

[TooLiveBrew]

Weeks is the runner-up with an equally solid season statistics-wise. However, he never dominated the headlines the way Hart did in June.

 

Weeks didn't butcher an easy/easier defensive position, and is a far rarer bat at his position. If you're choosing a position player, it's Weeks & then everybody else.

 

 

EDIT: I know not everyone is going to be in love with WAR, but at the least it puts things into perspective when you factor in a player's positional value:

 

5.6 Weeks

4.0 Fielder

3.9 Braun

3.3 Hart

3.2 McGehee

 

Fwiw, Gallardo comes in at 4.6, & Axford at 2.0 for pitching WAR

[valpocrewsader]

1. Axford

2. Hart

3. Yo

4. Braun

5. Weeks

 

LVP?

 

1. Hoffman

2. Gerut

2. Suppan

4. Kottaras

5. Gomez