Poll: Mets First-half MVP
Who is the Mets’ first-half Most Valuable Player — the man who has contributed the most to their success thus far? Hard for me to say; on the one hand, David Wright has been carrying the offense on his back. On the other hand, the starting pitching has been excellent, so maybe one of the starters deserves the honor. For example, it could be said that the Mets wouldn’t even have BELIEVED they could have a winning record at the All-Star break if it weren’t for Johan Santana‘s presence — some think Santana lifted the hopes of the entire organization, and perhaps ignited extra motivation from his teammates. At the same time, R.A. Dickey has been simply outstanding; some argue, he’s been the best pitcher in MLB. And then there’s Dillon Gee, who hasn’t been nearly as outstanding as Dickey or Santana, but who has given the Mets at least five innings and a chance to win every single start; that’s a valuable asset at the back-end of a rotation.
Maybe Gee is a stretch, but I’m not sure the Mets have a winning record if, say, Chris Schwinden is taking the ball every five days instead of Gee.
Bottom line is I’m not sure who is the Mets’ first-half MVP, so I’ll leave it to you — vote for your choice, and explain your supporting argument for that player in the comments.
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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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You might be able to make a case for Gee if MVP were defined as “most valuable performance per dollar of salary paid”.
Most Valuable Price?
I think a good case can be made for more than one person. This is how it should be.
you seem to completely misunderstand the definition of “most”
The point is that the choice is hard since a reasonable person can pick more than one person. This is as it should be since a team should have more than one person who is seen as very important to it.
Papelbon – on the mound for 30% of the Mets top ten highlights of their last 500 games (including 2 this year). And we don’t pay him a penny.
I think Dickey’s pitched even better than Wright’s hit… but Wright’s also played good defense every day. So my vote’s for David.
Every day player gets the nod. What is really decisive is Wright’s fielding and leadership this year which is better than in past years. It was closer than I thought. Without Dickey the Mets would have 5-7 fewer wins, without Wright, 7-10. I wonder what the Saber numbers are. Anybody have info on WORP for these two guys (wins over replacement player?)????
Santana. Dickey pitches better, Wright does it every day – but even here in far away Germany I could sense the purely positive energy coming from Johan. I think he mentally put this team on his shoulders.
I have never seen a MVP given out for Mental ability. What Dickey has done in the first half is just sick.
Here is the answer if you had to play the second half without Dickey or Wright who would you need more?
How is the answer not Dickey?