Wainwright leads in ERA and WHIP, which are the two most important stats (in my opinion). They're both great pitchers and fun to watch regardless. FWIW, Dallas Braden has a perfecto too. I don't think a perfect game should have any bearing on Cy Young voting.
Updated after yesterday's games:
Pujols 1-4, 0 RBI, 0 HR
Votto 2-4, 2 RBI, 0 HR
RBI League Leaders: 1. Pujols 88; 2. Votto 83
Home Runs: 1. Pujols 32; 2. Dunn 31; 3. Votto 28
Average: 1. Votto .321; 2. Gonzalez .318; 3. Prado .318; 4. Pujols .316
Votto with a HR and 3 RBI today; Pujols had 1 RBI. Votto still leading in average and has crept within 3 HR and 3 RBI.
Votto's 10 pitch AB against Broxton, ending with a 2 RBI single, was MVP worthy.
Absolutely. He went down 0-2 immediately and then had a stellar at bat to clinch that game for the Reds.
It doesn't matter for the TC. But Pujols has 73 walks to 54 strikouts. Votto has 69 walks and 95 strikeouts. Goes to show that even if Votto wins the MVP he's still not Pujols in terms of an all around hitter.
Ted Williams got screwed out of the MVP because he was a dick to the media so they didn't vote for him (look it up). Same thing with Albert Belle in 95, but that wasn't as blatant.
Dope fiends don't deserve any awards.
ryan foreman wrote:
It doesn't matter for the TC. But Pujols has 73 walks to 54 strikouts. Votto has 69 walks and 95 strikeouts. Goes to show that even if Votto wins the MVP he's still not Pujols in terms of an all around hitter.
Thank you. People often overlook this aspect of hitting. Pujols is far superior to Votto in terms of selectivity at the plate this year and at this stage in his career. Votto's really going to have to heat up down the stretch in order to match Pujols' complete output for the season. Right now it's Pujols for MVP by a wide margin. that is, until the retarded baseball writers get involved.
Dope Fiends wrote:
Dope fiends don't deserve any awards.
You weren't going to win any anyway.
it's been long time since we've had a Triple Crown winner.
Go Albert Pujols!
Votto has a better average, obp, and slugging percentage than pujols. He has struck out slightly more often, but pujols has grounded into far more double plays. And votto is leading his team to the playoffs
Right now votto has to have a slight edge over pujols.
Actually, to expound on that:
Votto has a much higher strikeout rate (22.6% to 11.9%) but an identical walk rate (14%).
Pujols has grounded into 19 double plays while Votto has grounded into only 8.
Votto helps make up for his strikeouts by avoiding infield fly balls (which are similarly unproductive at bats). 13.6% of balls put in play by Pujols have been infield flies. Amazingly, Votto has not hit any (according to fangraphs).
Additionally, this year Votto has been a superior fielder. Pujols' UZR/150 is 1.7; Votto's is 5.0.
All in all, Votto has a WAR of 5.7 this year while Pujols has a WAR of 5.5
They have both had very good seasons. Votto's has been slightly better and is on the first place team. He has to has the edge as of this moment, though it could certainly change by the end of the season.
No chance
hey asge,
Must admit that the advanced stats paint a closer picture than I had imagined. However, I still think that Pujols' selectivity/discipline at the plate gives him a decided advantage. Consider that he has struck out 42 fewer times than Votto while his IFFB% only accounts for 24 similarly unproductive outs. That still leaves a differential of 18 in Pujols' favor.
Also, Pujols sees more pitches per plate appearance than Votto (4.02 to 3.92) and has been intentionally walked 28 times to Votto's 4. The additional stress that this puts on opponents over the course of a season can't be ignored. Perhaps opposing pitchers haven't yet figured out that Votto is a damn good hitter, but it seems fairly clear that they just fear him less than Pujols.
On that note, I'll have to check to see which player sees more strikes vs. balls per plate appearance when I have time.
Pujols' selectivity definitely makes it more likely that he will be a better hitter going forward, mostly because the K rate. Also, Pujols makes contact when he swings far more often. While they swing at the same percent of pitches outside the zone this year, Pujols makes contact on 78% of them while Votto hits 68%. Votto has twice as many swinging strikes as Pujols.
However, Votto has done about as much as Pujols this year with the at bats he has. Pujols has also grounded into 11 more double plays than Votto- not only unproductive outs, but producing an extra out.
I guess the point is: Pujols is still a better hitter, but Votto has had just as productive a year (their production is actually amazingly similar). While Pujols' superior contact rate will likely help him produce more than Votto in the future, I think MVP should be more about production this year.
It will be interesting to see how things change moving forward to the end of the season, but these two guys are neck and neck, in my opinion.
On a sidenote: I love fangraphs. The amount of data there is amazing.
Some of you seem to be confusing who is a better hitter with who deserves to win the MVP award. The general consensus is that Pujols is the better hitter than Votto. The strike out/ walk rate is a good indication of that, and one great season by Votto does not vault him ahead of Pujols.
But, with so many nearly identical statistics, the team wins almost always decides who wins the MVP award, and if things hold true that will be Votto.
Obviously historically significant seasons, like a Triple Crown win, have a very good chance of trumping the wins logic.
Pujols is Lanced.
After tonight Pujols is now batting .319 w/ 33 Homeruns and 93 RBI's. Now 2nd in Avg by only a couple points to Votto and he continues to lead the other 2 categories. The next month and a half should be really exciting.
Didn't Pujols admit to taking PEDs ?