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Posted By: Rhys

Somewhere about 15 years ago the "MVP" award slowly became the "MVPWT" award. Meaning that the "Most Valuable Player" which originally meant the Best player, has turned into the Most Valuable player on a winning team. I know AROD won it last years but he was so far and away the best player it was ridiculous. Had Ichiro or Randy Johnson played on winning teams the debate would not even be fun. Ichiro had one of the best seasons EVER, yet he will not win the award. 30 years from now people will still be talking about the season Ichiro had, 100 years from now, people will still be talking about it. Imagine going through the record books and seeing the numbers Sisler put up in 1920 and seeing that he didn't win the MVP award (if they had it then) because he didn't play for a winning team, and instead it went to a role playing Yankee because he was on a "winner". If the MVP and CY Young awards are given the meaning they were originally intended (and you can look up past winners to prove this point) which is "Best Player and Best Pitcher in the League" and not their modern adaptations which state that you must be on a contender, then the Best players are as follows.

AL MVP Ichiro
AL Cy Young Johan Santana
NL MVP Barry Bonds
NL Cy Young Randy Johnson

Pretty soon the Major League Post Season awards will be like the BCS. If you do not play for the Yankees, Red Sox or another perennial winner then you have an uphill battle and it will be hard to win it ever.

Just my opinion and I know most do not agree, but look at the language and the history of the award and it is clear that this emphasis on "being on a winning team" is a recent phenomenon. Take records away and Ichiro and Bonds were the best players in baseball this year.

Rhys