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Tom Verducci's 1/2 Season Pick for AL MVP ...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_verducci/07/11/inside.baseball/

The Half-Season Awards

It's old news how the American League, as in European soccer league designations, is a higher league than the National League. But now that we've hit the unofficial halfway mark of the season with the All-Star break, here's one more reason the AL is so much better: the half-season major awards. The AL awards are loaded with much more intrigue and difficult calls.

Can a DH be the MVP? Can a rookie be the Cy Young Award winner, and if so, which one? Is Jonathan Papelbon having a better season than Francisco Liriano? Read on for the answers to those questions and more.

American League
Most Valuable Player

The ballot:
1. Derek Jeter, New York
2. Jermaine Dye, Chicago
3. David Ortiz, Boston
4. Vernon Wells, Toronto
5. Jim Thome, Chicago
6. Magglio Ordoñez, Detroit
7. Joe Mauer, Minnesota
8. Travis Hafner, Cleveland
9. Gary Matthews Jr., Texas
10. Jonathan Papelbon, Boston

The reasons: The value of the DH is once again at the heart of the MVP debate, this time with Thome joining Ortiz as specialists deserving of consideration. Always remember, class, that this is not the most outstanding hitter award, or the who-you-would-most-want-to-bat-with-the-game-on-the-line award. It is extremely difficult, though not impossible, for a guy to win the MVP while giving his team virtually nothing on the defensive side, when any baseball person with a cursory knowledge of the game knows that the lockstep combination of pitching and defense is what mostly wins championships. At least Ortiz and Thome contribute beyond their hitting with leadership and presence in the clubhouse. That's not to be underestimated either.

Thome, though, can't possibly be the MVP when he's a glorified platoon player with no defensive position. He has only six extra-base hits all season against left-handers while slugging an anemic .380. He also has been bad in close-and-late situations (.184). Likewise, Ortiz can be neutralized by left-handers (.235 with a .311 OBP and one strikeout every three at-bats), and though he gets memorable hits, he doesn't get as many as you might think (.250 in close-and-late, .280 with runners in scoring position). Big Papi is devastating, though, because his big hits tend to be game-changing home runs, not just singles that extend rallies.

Dye, however, is a better choice than either DH because he plays right field, has a better OPS and has been money with runners in scoring position and two outs (.382). He's a quality candidate.

I'm picking Jeter, though, because as someone who plays a premium position who contributes in multiple ways offensively and who is the unchallenged leader of the team, he is the single biggest reason that a depleted New York team is only three games behind Boston. When asked to bat third, for instance, all Jeter did was hit .388 with a .500 OBP. He hit .355 in June and July after Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield went on the disabled list.

You want big hits? Guess who has more hits (16) and a better batting average (.364) in close-and-late situations than Thome, Dye and Ortiz? Yep, Jeter. Guess who has more hits with runners in scoring position (30)? Jeter, a .357 hitter in those spots, including .371 with two outs.