fd, the case for Rabbit Marranville. Marranville was all about defense. His contemporaries believed him to be one of the best players in all of baseball b/c of his defense and perhaps leadership skills. I base that on the MVP voting.
At age 21 (1913), Rabbits first full year in the majors, he batted 247, with no power. Yet he finished third in the MVP voting.
At age 22 (1914), Rabbits second full year in the majors, he batted 246 with no power. Yet he finished second in the MVP voting.
Between 1915 and 1923 (the following nine seasons) the National League did away with the MVP award. Those were Rabbits prime years, between ages 23 and 31. During those nine seasons Rabbit had his seven best offensive years, the seven highest seven Offensive WAR numbers of his career. Its seems to me, based on the past two years, (and the following year, discussed below), that Rabbit would have been high in the MVP voting for many if not most of those years.
In 1924 the MVP award returned to the NL, Rabbit was 32 years old. In spite of having his worst offensive year up to that point, Rabbit finsished 7th in MVP voting.
So, there were only three years where the NL had an MVP from the start o Rabbits career till 32 years old. During those three years (age 21, 22, and 32) Rabbit finished second, third and seventh in the NL MVP voting. His best offensive years, occured during the nine years there was no voting.
For the following three years, in 1925 - 27, he was a partime player, and played just a few games in '27. He may have been injured during that time.
He returned as a full time shortstop in 1928 at age 36, and played full time for the next six years, until he was 41 years old in 1933. He continued to play shortstop even at that stage in his career, and was still considered an amazing fielder, and at age...
36 he batted .240 with no power, yet finished 10th in the MVP voting
37 he batted .284 with no power, yet finsihed 15th in the MVP voting
39 he batted .260 with no power, yet finished 10th in the MVP voting
40 he batted .235 with no power, yet finished 17th in the MVP voting
41 he batted .218 with no power, yet finished 12th in the MVP voting.
How great of a fielder must he have been for his contemporaries vote him 12th in the MVP voting at age 41 when he batted .218? Amazing, imo.
So, during Rabbit Marranville's best nine year stretch as a ballplayer, when he was beteen 23 and 32 years old, there was no NL MVP awared.
The NL MVP was only awarded in the NL when Rabbit was 21, 22, and then from ages 32 to 41, a total of 12 years, mostly when he was older. In two of those twelve years he played virtually no games, I assume he was injured. In those ten years not indluding the injury years, Rabbit received MVP votes in eight of them. These include a second and third place finish.
It is almost certain he would have reveived many more MVP votes between 1915 and 1923 in Rabbits prime, and when he had the best offensive years of his career, but there was no MVP award.
Point is, for some reason, the players around him and the baseball writers certainly thought of Rabbit as one of the best players of his day in spite of his mediocre offensive stats. Late in his career the baseball writers association thought so much of his skills, that a significant number voted Rabbit as the league MVP...even whwhen he was batting 218 at the age of 41! So, he must have been one helluva great defensive player.
IMO the MVP voting is so crazyily strong for Rabbit, that one has to conclude that his contemporaries thought of his as a great, even MVP type player.
best.
AI
