Big Papi is not the AL MVP in 2006

Anyway you slice, David Ortiz is not going to be the AL MVP this year. If you had asked me in July or August, when the Red Sox were in 1st place and every time I turned on my computer Ortiz had another game winning hit or HR it seemed as if he was a shoe in this year and no amount of griping about being a DH would not have mattered. He was a monster and very deserving. Today, he is a mere after thought in my opinion for this award.

Starting in late August and early September the Red Sox began their normal (minus 2004) late season swoon as injuries began to take their toll on Boston. Unfortunately for Ortiz, he was slowed by injury as well, as an irregular heartbeat cost him a week or more of games. If Ortiz was able to stay healthy and single handedly keep the Red Sox in contention he would have won the award hands down, but even when he played the Red Sox were failed by pitching, and in the process probably killed Ortiz chance of becoming the first fulltime DH to win the MVP

What I find most disturbing is a quote from Ortiz on ESPN.com on sunday:

"I'll tell you one thing," Ortiz said. "If I get 50 home runs and 10 more RBI [which would give him 137], that's going to be a round number that no one else in the American League will have."

"But they'll vote for a position player, use that as an excuse. They're
talking about [Derek] Jeter a lot, right? He's done a great job, he's having a great season, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy. It doesn't matter how much you've done for your ball club, the bottom line is, the guy who hits 40 home runs and knocks in 100, that's the guy you know helped your team win games. "

From everything I have ever read and seen about Ortiz, even last year when the MVP award was given to Alex Rodriguez, he was always very positive and never sounded self-centered to me. I am hoping that this quote was either taken out of context or just a simple venting of frustration. Where I love to loathe any Red Sox player (and subsequent Yankee killer), I have always had a fair amount of respect for Big Papi because of his enegertic and contagious smile, for the way he plays the game, and always seems take the high road.

Maybe the Yankees are getting to the big guy, maybe he is just worn down after a long disappointing season, but this fan is disappointed by this egotistical quote, and hope that Ortiz does not damage his reputation or his positive outlook toward the game and its fan.

So who is going to be the AL MVP? With the White Sox fading as well as the Red Sox, it is difficult to vote for Jermaine Dye. Jeter will always garner some support being the heart and sould of the Bronx Bombers, but unfortunately I don't think it is his year either, though this could be the year he comes closest to this award. I would say that Justin Morneau from the Twins is the front runner, since the Twins are now pressuring the Tigers for the AL Central supremacy. They would not have been able to make this late season run without him, and remember the wild card have won (Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, Red Sox) or made (Mets, Giants, Astros) the World Series in the recent past.