Examiner.com baseball awards -- MVP

November 7, 10:02 AMColorado Rockies ExaminerTravis Lay

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Albert Pujols was a unanimous winner of the NL MVP for Examiner.com
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The baseball Examiners at Examiner.com have voted on all the same postseason awards that the BBWAA vote on each year. We will slowly be releasing our results over the next few weeks. The MVP award for each league is the first up and probably the two biggest no-brainers.

In the National League Albert Pujols wins.

In the American League Joe Mauer wins.

Here is who I voted for in each league and my thoughts on the results from the overall vote totals.  I think the MVP is a pretty uniform award for most baseball types, the future awards should provide some good discussion.

NL MVP
1. Albert Pujols
2. Prince Fielder
3. Ryan Howard
4. Troy Tulowitzki
5. Tim Lincecum
6. Derek Lee
7. Adrian Gonzalez
8. Hanley Ramirez
9. Andre Ethier
10. Chase Utley

A lot of first basemen on my list. Albert is about the biggest no-brainer in the history of the MVP award in baseball. Fielder and Howard are second and third in any order, to me. Tulo gets in on the strength of the last five months of the season and the fact that he out produced all shortstops by quite a bit. Timmay is the best pitcher in baseball in my optinion. DLee and Gonzalez are two more power, run producing first basemen. Hanley is an amazing shortstop also, but he didn’t hit as many home runs as Tulo and then Ethier comes in on the strength of all his game winning home runs in 2009. Utley rounds out my list.

The top 10 on my list is pretty similar to the top 10 for the Examiner award, except I omitted Pablo “Kung-fu Panda” Sandoval. I love Sandoval, but the pitching in San Francisco was much more valuable than the hitting. I do admit that Pablo carried that offense.

The biggest beef I have on the overall list is Cliff Lee. I cant give someone an MVP when they spent a majority of the season in another league with a different team. I am glad Tulo got some love.

Mauer received 9 of the 11 first place votes.
(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

AL MVP
1. Joe Mauer
2. Mark Teixeira
3. Kendry Morales
4. Alex Rodriguez
5. Zack Greinke
6. Miguel Cabrera
7. Felix Hernandez
8. Ben Zobrist
9. Derek Jeter
10. Justin Verlander

In the AL Mauer gets my vote. His stats are far better than most everyone and he missed the first month of the season. Tex comes in second with a big surprise in Morales at third. Morales came out of nowhere in 2009. A-Rod checks in at four and then Greinke from the Royals at five. Miggy had a heck of the year that it seems no one talked about and the King Felix is the second of three pitchers on my AL list. Zobrist, Jeter and then Verlander rounds out my 10 in the AL.

In the AL the overall list looks a lot like mine with the exception of Kevin Youkilis. I missed him on my list and this is where the imperfection on these votes comes in. I had him on my fantasy team and felt disappointed all year. I can admit my bias! I do think A-Rod deserves more credit. Before he came off of the DL after the start of the season Tex was no good. Once A-Rod was batting behind him Tex’s year turned aournd.

Thoughts on the overall list and my list? Leave a comment below.
 

• The infield
• The outfield
• The starting pitching

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• Slide show of the starters