Honestly guys? I tried coming up with an argument for someone, anyone, against Vlad and I couldn't do it. There's tons of guys who had fantastic seasons (Reynolds, Anderson, Hernandez, Soto, Devers, Olson, Ramirez, Alonso, Riley, Renfroe, etc) but you just can't in good conscience make an argument for any of these guys over Vlad. You just can't. I mean, he won the triple crown AND for fun also lead the league in slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, total bases, OPS, and was 2nd in OBP. Truely a historic season.
Except I think an argument can be made for Ohtani, and only for the dual role aspect. I'm not sure that's enough, Vlad was that special. But there is extreme value in what Ohtani did both as a hitter and pitcher, something we've never seen before. So I think it's worth letting the voters decide.
Vlad = .333/.412/.686, 29 doubles, 0 triples, 65 HR, 149 runs, 142 RBI, 7 SB
Ohtani = .225/.340/.557, 26 doubles, 4 triples, 46 HR, 86 runs, 110 RBI, 8 SB
Ohtani = 8-5, 2.76 ERA, .194/.281/.311 against, 120.2 innings, 141 K's, 2.82 K/BB
I will say this: I thought Vlad was hands-down the winner, and that you might even just crown the man yourself without a vote. But the argument for Ohtani is indeed strong. It's certainly closer than I originally thought.
The kicker for me was fairly simple: Vlad was on a playoff team. If he'd have been on a sub-.500 team, I think my vote would have gone to Ohtani.
Ohtani made the playoffs too!
@Kyle I understand your point. Vlad did all that for a playoff team, he wasn't just accumulating stats for a non-contender.
Ohtani didn't measure up to Vlad at the plate. In many ways it was actually an off-year for Ohtani compared to some of my preseason sims. But 46 HR is not nothing (2nd in the league), especially when you factor in he missed 19 games while pitching. However, in those 19 games on the mound he had a sub 3.00 ERA with a K/9 of 10.51 - and it's specifically those 120 innings that at least gives him an argument.
Should Ohtani win? I don't know and I'm not campaigning. I do think Ohtani wins rather easily if someone doesn't win the Triple Crown (and lead the league in multiple other categories). But that's exactly what Vlad did. So it's a fascinating ballot.
Yeah, but what I was trying to say was that Vlad is the stronger candidate of the two. Both were on playoff teams. If Vlad (the stronger candidate) wasn't on a playoff team, I'd have been 50-50 on them.
It's crazy, isn't it? A man wins the Triple Crown and ISN'T the unanimous MVP! Ohtani is a freak of nature.
My predisposition is to not vote a pitcher for MVP unless their stats are overwhelming better than a position player. In my opinion Ohtani's stats aren't even close to reaching that level compared to a Triple Crown winner.