2006 MVP Candidates

How about Adam Riggs? I've heard that he was having a pretty good year (31 doubles, 29 homers). Do you think he will ever make it back to the majors? It sounds like he could!

CL - Seung-Yeop Lee
PL- Kazumi Saitoh

In the CL, right now no one has been more valuable to their team than Seung-Yeop Lee, who's at a un-real pace, at .321/.379/.631 with 37 HRs and 86 RBI. Lee has a 1.010 OPS, and would have even better numbers if anyone on the Giants minus Kokubo (who missed part of the year with injury) would give Lee any help. [Yomiuri Giants Stats -Borisov's Pro Yakyu]

In the PL, it is really hard to choose between Kazumi Saitoh and Daisuke Matsuzaka, as both are having unreal years, but Saitoh has been just one slight step above Matsuzaka, at 15-4, with a 1.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 7 CG, 42BB/167Ks, and a opponents .206 average against. [Softbank Hawks Stats- Borisov's Pro Yakyu]

I'm in complete agreement with you here. Saitoh's been unreal this year. I loved how this week, after Matsuzaka went out and struck out 12, Saitoh immediately followed it with a 12-strikeout game of his own. He's amazing.

And yeah, without Seung-Yeop Lee, the Giants would be in 6th place instead of 5th.

Adam Riggs now has 30 home runs!

Don't forget, the MVP's will 99% of the time come from the team that wins the pennant. So, even though I don't believe a pitcher should get an MVP award, it will most likely be Kawakami that wins it in the CL.

- Don't forget, the MVP's will 99% of the time come from the team that wins the pennant.

Yeah, the majors are the exact same way. Except for Andre Dawson (1987), Cal Ripken (1991), and Alex Rodriguez (2003), pretty much all MVPs in the majors come from pennant winning teams.

Though, I never have grasped the real concept behind this, if players like Lee are better than the rest of the league, then for him not to win the MVP would be a joke, and then what is really the purpose of a true MVP award? When the best player doesn't win the MVP?

However, Lee is batting .320/.378/.628 with 37 HRs and 87 RBI. Compare that to Riggs, who is batting only .297/.346/.569 with 30 HRs and 75 RBI.

Not to mention the OPS' are even close. Lee has a 1.006 OPS, Riggs, .915. It clear, Lee deserves it way more than Riggs or anyone in the CL.

Adam Riggs gets my vote. I hope he is playing back in the States next year. Some Major League team needs to give him a shot. He has proven he can play at every level.

I agree with everything you said! You would think that a team like the Pirates would give him a chance. They have nothing to loose but everything to gain!

- He has proven he can play at every level.

Riggs has yet to prove he can play at the major league level. He's batted .216 (33-153) with 3 HRs and 10 RBI in 61 games and 153 ABs in the majors. He has only proven that he is nothing better than a utility infielder, if even that.

- You would think that a team like the Pirates would give him a chance.

The Pirates have a perfectly capable second baseman in Jose Castillo. No need for Riggs there.

Sorry guys, but I hope that Riggs stays with the Swallows for a while longer. MLB can wait, with all the injuries the Swallows have, we need a guy like Riggs.

I wasn't talking about starting for the Pirates, I was just saying he could be a good bench player for a team like that.

I don't know what position(s) Riggs played in the Majors, but it's annoying me that he's called a "utility" player and a "middle infielder" when he has hardly (possibly not even) played a single game at any position other than first and the outfield.

This year, he has strictly been used at first base because he wasn't the best outfielder in terms of fielding last year. He hasn't played second base at all despite LaRocca's injury. While Riggs is playing Golden Glove defense at first for the Swallows, let's not jump to any conclusions about his versatility, which he has yet to show in Japan.

BTW, everyone keeps mentioning OPS. Fukudome has a higher OPS than Lee, and although he has had injuries this year and missed about 10-15 games, you cannot count out a guy who leads the league slugging percentage and on-base percentage. If you want RBIs, Woods is way ahead of Fukudome.

Take away Lee from the Giants, and they're a sub-.500 team, which they also are currently. Take away Woods or Fukudome from the Dragons, and they might not be in 1st place. The pair of Dragons are clearly more "valuable" to their team.

If I am not mistaking, he played second, left, and maybe third. But do you really think he is going start at a position in the major? That's what we were talking about - if he gets back to the majors he'll be a back up most likely. I hope he would start, but I don't think it is going to happen! So he has prove he can play those positions just not in Japan.

- Take away Lee from the Giants, and they're a sub-.500 team, which they also are currently.

Which is exactly why he is the MVP. Minus Woods or Fukudome, from Chunichi and they would be fine. Lee is way more valuable to any team than any player, as without Lee the Giants be in dead last, you and I know it. Denying it would be futile.

Too, Chunichi not being in first place, that is part of Hanshin's failures to take advantage against Chunichi, which I have no interest in talking about, because it's been beat into a dead horse here.

Yes, but the difference between 5th and 6th really doesn't matter, so Lee shouldn't be the MVP. My MVP goes to either Fukudome or Kawakami, without either of them Chunichi is not going to the Series.

Fukudome is head and shoulders above everyone in batting average and OBP. He is the leader in several other categories, and although he doesn't lead the league in home runs, he is in the top 3 for a few other categories.

Kawakami has been almost un-hittable this year.

So either of them get the wave over Lee who is playing for a sinking ship that isn't rising any time soon.

Other notables I would consider over Lee would be Woods and (to throw in a personal favorite) Aoki, even though I know that's just my special wish that won't happen this year. Feel free to disagree and post more please.

As for Kawakami in the CL. I love him, but the "pitcher as MVP is about as logical as the year Uehara won the Sawamura, ROY, and led in everything, but another pitcher (Noguchi, whom I also liked very much) was somehow MVP. Yes, Kawakami unless his current slide continues; Fukudome if not.

Matsuzaka has a great chance in the PL, but no one is a clear favorite.

Matsuzaka, as great as he's been, hasn't been the best pitcher in the PL this year. Kazumi Saitoh has been absolutely lights out. He recently threw another gem, shutting out the Eagles for eight innings.

I don't know if he'll win the MVP, but he deserves at least the Sawamura Award.

Here is a vote for Fukudome in the Central League. Not only is he running away with the batting title, he's also among the league leaders in several other categories, plus he's fantastic in the field, with a sensational glove and arm. Batting title plus Golden Glove for a pennant winner. Fu-kool-do-me is the man.

I haven't been following the Pacific League closely enough to offer a suggestion for their MVP.

Riggs was announced MVP of August.

Here's a list of candidates:

Pacific League: Alex Cabrera and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Cabrera is driving in runs and looking for contact rather than trying to hit a home run every time like he used to. Matsuzaka has been pitching great.

Central League: Tryone Woods and Adam Riggs. Both have had outstanding numbers, and so has Fukudome.

Fukudome's the Central League's best hitter by a significant margin.

I don't know. I think it comes down to which team wins the Pacific League, because I think there are several other candidates (Ogasawara, Zuleta, Saitoh, Matsunaka, even) who have a pretty good campaign for MVP.

I'm completely biased, of course, but I'd love to see Ogasawara get it.

All I know is that I am still in complete agreement with my earlier picks. Nothing has changed since when I picked Lee and Saitoh.

While, Fukudome might play for a winning team, he hasn't had a better year than Lee, and anyone can see that. If the MVP is truly the most valuable player, then it should go to the league's best player, and that is easily Seung-Yeop Lee, despite how poor Yomiuri is, which only makes Lee's performance that much better. Riggs (while having a good year) isn't even close for consideration.

Lee's been a lot better than Fukudome? Throw out the home run stats, but Fukudome has a higher batting average, on- base percentage, and a higher slugging percentage. The only stats that Lee is better than Fukudome in are HR, RBI, Ks, PAs, and ABs. Lee has more 2B, BB, H, 3B, Rs, and SBs despite playing 18 fewer games. Keep in mind that Fukudome is doing all of this while playing right field or center field instead of first base. Fukudome's created more runs despite playing less games. And he's on a better team.

The three year run factor for Yomiuri is very low, as is Chunichi's. I thought the Tokyo Dome was a hitters park, did they move the fences or something? Anyway, by my math Fukudome's EqA is around .354 and Lee's is around .336. Their batting runs over average is 56.5 for Fukudome and 50.8 for Lee.

Fukudome's hit the best hands-down. Whether or not he will get the award remains to be seen.

I also agree with you, I see Fukudome as better than Lee.

One could argue that Lee is a better batter than Fukudome, even if I wouldn't agree, but a better player? MVP has also to take into account fielding skills, and with that it's not even a close match anymore.

- While, Fukudome might play for a winning team, he hasn't had a better year than Lee, and anyone can see that. If the MVP is truly the most valuable player, then it should go to the league's best player, and that is easily Seung-Yeop Lee.

John, you're making it sound like it's an open and shut case, as opposed to the highly debatable topic that it is in reality.

I'd have to say I can see arguments for both guys, but I'd have to go for Fukudome myself (if only because he's on a potential pennant winning team and Lee's production has seemed to have slowed a little in the second half of the season).

I really don't see how Lee is "easliy the best." Or could it be that "anyone can see that" but me?

I think Kawakami tied it up with his performance against the Tigers on September 15th.

If the Tigers do the miraculous and catch the Dragons, who is the MVP? Kanemoto's numbers are way down, Hamanaka has been average after a hot start, Sheets is solid but not MVP material, Igawa is no longer a legitimate ace. Fujikawa? Could a relief pitcher actually win?

The MVP will or should be Woods. At the rate that he is going at now, he will pass Lee, and at that point Lee has no claim to the MVP. Woods leads the league by far in RBIs, and is closing in home runs, and will be in the top 3 in several categories. On top of that, he's on the team that is most likely to win at this point, so I don't really think there is much to debate about it other than possibly Fukudome who also probably has the second best numbers.

I would say that pitchers shouldn't win an MVP. That's what they have an award [Sawamura Award] for pitchers for.

- Could a relief pitcher actually win?

A rhetorical question, I know. But Sasaki won it in 1988 with a 1 and 1 record, 45 saves, and a 0.64 ERA. Fujikawa's 33 hold points and 0.62 ERA look pretty good.

Over in the Pacific League

The MVP in the Pacific League could go to members of any of the top three teams. Winning the championship will probably push votes over the top for a player on the team that finishes first.

The candidates I see are:

Pitchers

• Saitoh (Softbank) - 18 and 4 (.818 W%), a 1.66 ERA, 8 CG, 5 shutouts, 3 no walk CG, 9 K/9 innings
• Matsuzaka (Seibu) - 17 and 4 (.810 W%), a 1.89 ERA, 13 CG, 9.78 K/9 innings

Nippon Ham's Yagi and Darvish have both been very effective, but they're both still a rank apart from Saitoh and Matsuzaka.

Batters

• Cabrera (Seibu) - 3.21 BA (2nd), 31 HRs (2nd), 100 RBIs (1st), 263 TB (2nd), .574 slugging (2nd)
• Ogasawara (Nippon Ham) - 3.16 BA (4th), 32 HRs (1st), 97 RBIs (2nd), 281 TB (1st), .576 slugging (1st)

Softbank's Matsunaka leads the Pacific league batting championship with a .332 batting average, .011 above second place Cabrera. But he hasn't had the power or RBIs this year that he had the past couple of years. Besides the best batting average, Matsunaka leads the league in bases on balls (100) and on base percentage (.459), so he has still been valuable. What's most impressive of Matsunaka, though, is he's only struck out 37 times in 437 at bats, less than anyone else who qualifies for a title.

I can't begin to predict who will get the MVP award, but I think that these are the leading candidates, and a first place finish should seal it up for one of them.

I had forgotten Sasaki won it that year. So perhaps Fujikawa will be a legitimate choice should the Tigers come back. It is customarily given to a member of the league champions in NPB, right? (Disregarding the PL and their playoff system.)

- It is customarily given to a member of the league champions in NPB, right?

Yes, that's the general custom. There is only one exception that comes to mind: Ichiro won the MVP in 1994, the year he broke the 200 hit barrier, despite Orix finishing in second that season.

As for the playoffs playing a role, Matsunaka won the MVP in 2004, the year that Daiei had the best winning percentage but Seibu won the playoffs. Of course, Matsunaka also won the Triple Crown that year, so playoffs or not, it would have been difficult to select anyone else.

That's a (minor) point I had thought of in favor of the PL-playoff format: more great players have better chances of picking up a deserved MVP, even with teams finishing the regular season second or third. Since their teams make the playoffs, I will guess that tiresome, sometimes ridiculous, always very lazy habits certain voters have in reflexively choosing the least-objectionable player from the championship club may be broken - something that (like broadcasting regular PL games at night!) could only be for the best.

It will take some years to see if a change is being made, old habits die hard and all, but if the clearly superior candidate wins from third over a decent player from first we'll know some of these people are actually thinking, and caring, about the game.

The problem with choosing a Pacific League MVP goes even deeper than that. Most pundits only pay attention to the Central League. Inter-league games have gone a great way to introducing Pacific League faces to these people. But with the Central League getting the number of inter-league games reduced next season, the number of days in the spotlight are going to be fewer next season.

Torakichi-tachi, quick, name four Nippon Ham Fighters not including Ogasawara, Shinjo, or Darvish (since they do get a fair amount of press). No, don't hit reply and name them. This is just a mental exercise to show that people who focus on the Central League tend to not know many players in "that other league." I was that way before I started writing about Pro Yakyu regularly (and as others write more, I've been able to write less and fall back into poor habits).

The mainstream press focuses on the Central League, so the Pacific League MVP is often chosen as the Pacific League player on the winning team who has the greatest name recognition. Same goes for Best Nine, Golden Gloves, etc. Official voters for these awards glance at the Pacific League stats at the end of the season to get an idea of who the candidates are, then choose the name they recognize the best. Many don't even bother to place a vote for the Pacific League as the total number of votes are always lower for the Pacific League awards than the Central League awards. Sad, but that's how I've observed it happening.