Hamilton or Cabrera for MVP?

Inspired by an ongoing debates in the comments section over at THT Live, I propose to you the following considerations:

1. Josh Hamilton’s AVG/SLG stats (.359/.411/.633) are slightly better than Miguel Cabrera’s (.328/.420/.622), but Miggy has a slight edge in OBP (which is more valuable than slugging).
2. Even with park factors considered, Miguel Cabrera’s wOBA is .427. Hamilton’s is .447
   
3. In terms of total batting production, Hamilton’s BRAR is +55.5, having missed almost a month of play. Cabrera’s is +55.3 with an additional 17 games played.
   
4. Miguel Cabrera’s 1B fielding is was indexed at -6.1 UZR/150 (take 1 year UZR with a serious grain of salt), while Hamilton’s OF fielding per 150 was +10.8. Hamilton plays the relatively more premium fielding position.
   
5. Hamilton’s cumulative WPA on the season was +6.25, whereas Cabrera’s was a higher +7.42. If we keep everything constant and pro-rate Hamilton’s playing time to match Cabrera’s, Hamilton’s extrapolated WPA becomes 7.09. Thus, it’s closer than it seems, but Miggy does out-edge Hamilton here.
   
6. In terms of pure raw peripherals, Miggy edges Hamilton in ISO (.294 vs .274) and owns him in BB% (13.7% vs 7.5%).
   
7. Hamilton was the more prodigious clipper (22.0% LD% vs 18.9% LD%) and Hamilton grounded into less double plays per AB (2.1%) than Miggy (3.1%)

So yes, the overall end of season numbers are pretty darn close, but when you consider that Hamilton’s team made it to the playoffs (a major factor in G/9 analysis) and that Hamilton was just as valuable over 17 less games, you honestly have to give the edge to Hamilton. Plus Hamilton didn’t get to drink any champagne (though he did never dress up in the raincoat with duck tape over his mouth as he promised the media...). Accordingly, this is why I feel that he most deserves the award.

Jim Rome Is My Hero

It's a shock to me that I haven't pledged my love to Jim Rome on this blog. Honestly, I would dedicate an entire blog to Jim Rome and his radio show, tv show, and life in general. Yes, we do love Bill Simmons and Adam Carolla on this blog, but I grew up listening to Jim Rome. I would actually record his live stream on the radio while in school and anxiously run home to listen to his "smack". I'm going to make a conscious effort to produce more and more Jim Rome related posts. Every talking head on TV has an opinion, but no one brings it like the "Pimp in the Box". And those of you who only know him from TV don't really understand what he's all about.

Today on television, he had one of the simplest, yet best one liners i've ever heard. Discussing Tim Tebow's struggles at the Senior Bowl practices, where Tebow kept fumbling the snap under center, he said "look intangibles are great, but you know whats even better? Tangibles." Finally, we have a national proponent of G/9

Joe Mauer Wins MVP Unanimously, Minus 1 Moron

Mauer led the American League in average, on-base, and slugging - the true triple crown while playing catcher. Some moron voted for Miguel Cabrera, cause boozing and beating your wife before the most important game of the season really spikes your grindiness per nine (g/9)

New Sabermetric Discovered!

It's called Grindiness Per Nine Innings (G/9). To calculate a player's G/9, you simply multiply the amount of heart a player has by his ability to "grind" in "clutch" situations and then divide that by the difference between his BA and OBP. Then, add X, where X is equal to how many World Series ring this player has. Finally, multiply your figure by 9 and you will have any given player's "Raw Grindiness Factor" (RGF), which must be adjusted for park factors like "it's really hard to be on the Yankees because people expect big things from you" or "used a Shortstop's mitt at Second Base."

Players who annually rank top 10 in G/9:
01. David Eckstein (Small Guy, Big Heart, TWO World Series Rings!!)
02. Derek Jeter (Captain Clutch, Mr. November, makes appearances on SNL)
03. Darren Erstad ("The Punter", dirties up his uniform every single game)
04. Scott Posednick (From Rule 5 To Fifth String OF!: The Scotty Pods Success Story)
05. Jacque Jones (strong ability to try hard trumps weak arm and inability to walk)
06. Justin Mornaeu (Captain Clutch Jr.)
07. C.C. Sabathia (completes every game he starts and has the ability to pitch on three days rest five consective times late in a season after throwing over 5oo innings over the past two seasons because he's "competitive")
08. K-Rod (you might as well nickname him Jesus for all the shit he saves)
09. Juan Pierre (Mr. "What Is This New-Fangled OPS Shit? Did You See How Many SBs Pierre Had In 2008?")
10. Carlos Zambrano (His sheer manliness prevents him from hydrating during games)

Players who annually rank bottom 10 in G/9.
01. Alex Rodriguez (anti-clutch, "overpaid")
02. Adam Dunn (doesn't try, not entertaining enough to watch, can't run the 50 yard dash in 3 seconds)
03. Barry Bonds (cheater, drug-user, sells poison milk to school children)
04. Jason Giambi (the biggest bust in baseball; only hits 33 HR a year)
05. Aaron Harang (strikeouts are fascist, couldn't get Cy Young votes if his life depended on it, brags too much about his 4:1 strikeout rate, what are statistics?)
06. Pat Burrell (his career .852 OPS is too inconsistant)
07. Frank Thomas (clogs the bases, strikes out too much)
08. Johan Santana (ONLY won 16 games in 2008; his inability to complete every outing last year showed his lack of competitiveness [that and the fact that he did not pitch on 3 days rest five consecutive times])
09. Bert Blyleven (ONLY has 3701 career strikeouts, ONLY has 287 wins, no perfect games)
10. Mark Teixeira (his refusal of an 8-year, $140 million contract from the perennial losers that are the Texas Rangers in favor of an 8-year, $180 million contract from the perennial winners that are the Yankees makes him greedy)