Here are the players that I think are the most important to their teams. I think if these players were to get hurt, it would be the worst case scenario for these teams. For Instance, The Yankees have a ton of offense, taking away Curtis Granderson or Robinson Cano wouldn't have as big an impact of taking away their only reliable starting pitcher.
Arizona Diamondbacks - Justin Upton
Not my pick for NL MVP, but he's been been a force in the heart of the Diamondbacks lineup all season long. He's played in 159 games, been an above average defender, and has hit the crap out of the ball. I feel like this is an obvious one that doesn't need that much defense.
Atlanta Braves - Brian McCann
We saw that when McCann went down in lat July the Braves offense shut down. They've been a team that has struggles to score runs, and he's been the most consistent player in the Braves lineup.
Baltimore Orioles - Matt Wieters
It's been a horrible year for the Orioles so far. They've had all of their top pitching prospects struggle, and battle injuries. Wieters has had a mini breakout year, and has quieted a lot of critics who though he might be a bust as the former number one prospect in baseball. Wieters 2011 season is also a sign that the future in Baltimore might be bright if their top talent can rebound in the coming years.
Boston Red Sox - Jacoby Ellsbury
After a 2010 lost to injuries, the Red Sox didn't resign Adrian Beltre, moved Ellsbury back to center, and hold him not to worry about other players hit sticking him. Ellsbury had a monster season in 2011. Getting on base, hitting for power, and playing great defense. For all of the Adrian Gonzalez MVP hype around the all star break, it seems like the league caught up to him in the second half, and his production slowed.
Chicago Cubs - Aramis Ramirez
I had a tough time with this one. I was originally thinking Matt Garza because he and Ryan Dempster were the only two reliable starters in their rotation, but Garza was the only one that actually pitched well. But I consulted with my Cubs insider, and he said that it had to be Aramis. After looking into it, I agree. After a slow first half, Aramis had a great second half with a .301/.365/.516 slash line. Starlin Castro will probably take over this award in the future, but to quote my Cubs insider, "Aramis was the only reason that the Cubs scored any runs."
Chicago White Sox - Paul Konerko
I also debated this choice between Konerko and Alexei Ramirez. Alexei is a good up the middle defender but his offense was down this year. In a year where Adam Dunn and Alex Rios disappointed, and Carlos Quentin spend time on the DL, Konerko was the only solid run producer in the White Sox lineup. I can't use a pitcher, because the White Sox actually had good pitching depth with no real ace. Konerko gets on base, hits for power, and hasn't played less than 149 games since 2003, amazing for a player who's now 35 and still plays in the field everyday.
Cincinnati Reds - Joy Votto
He won the MVP in 2010, and led the National League in OBP. His power was down in 2010, but he's still an above average defender at first base, and is clearly the best player on the Reds. Yonder Alonso would have been a regular for two thirds of the teams in the league, but only started one game there for the Reds in 2011. Votto is a monster.
Cleveland Indians - Justin Masterson
Masterson really delivered in 2011 for the Tribe. He gave them 216 innings of 3.21 ERA baseball. He got a little bit lucky, but was the most reliable starter that the Indians had. No one on their offense really had a great year, Masterson was clearly their best player in 2011.
Colorado Rockies - Troy Tulowitzki
He's an up the middle defender who plays plus defense. He also gets on base enough and has enough power to be a middle of the order bat. If you were going to start a franchise, he'd be on the short list of position players that you'd want to choose from. The Rockies had a disappointing year, and there wasn't a lot of competition here. Todd Helton missed time, and doesn't hit for power anymore. Carlos Gonzalez numbers are down from last year, but his underlying numbers show that he actually improved, but he's no Tulowitzki.
Detroit Tigers - Justin Verlander
This goes much further than Verlander being the best pitcher in the league this year. Their offense has been surprisingly deep with big years form Jhonny Peralta, Alex Avila and Brennan Boesch before he got hurt. Even without Miguel Cabrera, I think they could have been fine. Verlander however was their only reliable starter throughout the middle of the season. He gave the bullpen a day off every five days, and not if a Livan Hernandez sort of way.
Florida Marlins - Mike Stanton
One of my favorite players to watch. Stanton is only 21, and has as much power as anyone in the league. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts a little, but he's still a great player. Hanley Ramirez had a season to forget, and Josh Johnson spend most of the year on the disabled list. Stanton should be a middle of the order for years to come, and could put up a string of 40 home run seasons like we don't see much anymore.
Houston Astros - Carlos Lee
Much like Aramis Ramirez for the Cubs, Carlos Lee seemed to be the only way that the Astros could generate runs in the second half. The Astros are completely rebuilding, and the coming years aren't going to be pretty.
Kansas City Royals - Alex Gordon
The former top prospect successfully made the transition to left field while managing to put up a .303/.376/.502 slash line. The Royals future is bright, but most of their players are still young, and didn't make as much of an impact as the Royals hope they will in the future. If Gordon can turn himself into a above average player, it would be great, considering many people were writing him off before the season started.
Los Angeles Angels - Jered Weaver The Angels had the lowest team ERA in the American League, and Weaver was a big part of it. No one on the Angels offense stuck out, and that's a large reason why they missed the playoffs. Weaver and Dan Haren are both deserving of this award, but Weaver was better for most of the season, and got more attention for the Angels, so he gets my award here.
Los Angeles Dodgers - Matt Kemp
He's my clear cut choice for National League MVP this year, although for this award, I could have easily chosen Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers offense though struggled so much, that I believe Matt Kemp deserves this award. He jumped his walk rate by almost 3%, while cutting down his strikeout rate, hitting for much more power, and being much more efficient in base stealing. Even though the numbers show he's a below average fielder, he still plays an up the middle position.
Milwaukee Brewers - Ryan Braun
This choice was between Braun and Prince Fielder, but it wasn't really that tough. Fielder is a great player, but his defense and base running bring him down. Braun has the athleticism to play a tougher defensive position, and contribute on the bases. He's a smart baserunner, and can beat you in more ways that Fielder. He also had some big hits for the Brewers down the stretch.
Minnesota Twins - Michael Cuddyer
What a terrible year for the Twins. A proud franchise that couldn't get 2011 over with quick enough. They had a ton of injuries to keystone players. Cuddyer's defensive flexibility, good statistics, and playing time make him the best of a bad lot for this team.
New York Mets - Jose Reyes
Although I don't like how he won the batting title, he did it. Batting average isn't the be-all-end-all, and Reyes deserves this award for more than that. He plays OK defense at shortstop, gets on base, and is exciting to watch. He cut his strikeout rate by over 3% this year, but his injury history would still make we wary to commit to his with a long term high dollar contract.
New York Yankees - CC Sabathia
The Yankees roster is loaded with all stars, but Sabathia is the most important to that team. If you take away a Cano, Teixeira, or Rodriguez out of their lineup, they still have enough fire power to beat you. Sabathia though was once again a horse for the Yankees, and the only one of their starters that was consistent and healthy all season. Without him, their bullpen would have been burnout, and if they still made the playoffs, Ivan Nova would have been their game one starter.
Oakland Athletics - Brandon McCarthy
The Athletics didn't have anyone who stood out offensively, and I think that McCarthy was the best of a good rotation. Gio Gonzalez's ERA was almost a run lower than you'd expect it to be for the second straight year, Trevor Cahill was very up and down, and Brett Anderson had another injury plagued season. McCarthy was their best player this year.
Philadelphia Phillies - Roy Halladay
This was an easy choice. Halladay never misses a start and always pitches well. Their offense was overall below average, and it's best candidate being Shane Victorino. Even though the Phillies rotation was full of aces, Halladay is the only Charlie Manuel has the most confidence in.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Andrew McCutcheon
McCutcheon plays a great centerfield, hits in the middle of their order (sometimes), and is fun to watch. He has surprising power, and can fly around the bases. Disregard the fact that the Pirates didn't have anyone else to pick, McCutcheon didn't get this award be default. He's a future star, and would already be if he were on a team that's any good.
San Diego Padres - Cameron Maybin
Another tough one, but I like Maybin here. His defensive abilities are perfect for that huge park, and at the top of the order he served as a good leadoff man. He got on base at an ok rate (for the Padres), and stole 40 bases while only being caught eight times. After bouncing around for a while, I think Maybin may have found the perfect home in San Diego.
San Francisco Giants - Pablo Sandoval
In a season where the manager and general manager successfully kept the Giants out of the playoffs, Sandoval did his best to stop them. He got on base, hit for power, and significantly improved his defense. The rotation was great, but the team wouldn't have nearly as many wins without Pablo.
Seattle Mariners - Felix Hernandez
A true ace is the most valuable commodity in baseball, and the Mariners have one of the best in King Felix. Their offense was somehow worse than it was last year, and I think that it really wore on Hernandez as the year went on. Hernandez's peripheral numbers show that he had almost the same year as he did in 2010, but wasn't as lucky. He's clearly the best player on his team, and this wasn't a tough choice.
St. Louis Cardinals - Chris Carpenter
The offense had enough firepower that it managed to hold together while Matt Holliday and Albert Pujols missed time. The rotation however was a mishmash of guys who should be in the bullpen and Dave Duncan's reclamation projects. Adam Wainwright was a huge loss for them, and if they would have lost Chris Carpenter, I don't think there's any way that they make the playoffs. A very similar situation to the Yankees with Sabathia. The only other candidate would be Lance Berkman, but I think Carp was more important for them.
Tampa Bay Rays - Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria is a great player. He might be the best defensive third baseman in the league. He's also the only real power threat on the Rays. All of his numbers are hurt by his absurdly low .239 BABIP. None of the Rays starters were in the running for this award because the organization has about 8 guys who would be #3 starters or better on the Red Sox or Yankees.
Texas Rangers - CJ Wilson
Although the rest of the Rangers rotation was better than the Cardinals and more reliable that the Yankees, the same logic applies. He's their best starter, and losing anyone on offense for this team wouldn't have been that big of a deal.
Toronto Blue Jays - Jose Bautista
Yeah, I guess he's for real. The .302/.447/.608 really tell the story for themselves. For a guy with that much power, he's not a liability on the base paths or in the field. I think that he should be the league MVP, and if the Blue Jays were in any other division, I think that they would have contended for the division, and he would be the MVP. Their contract extension looks pretty good of the Blue Jays right now.
Washington Nationals - Jordan Zimmermann
This one is as much of Zimmermann being a good player as it is a "hope for the future" award. Zimmermann looks like he will a top their #2 starter behind Strasburg in a few years. With the other Zimmerman missing a third of the season, and not quite being his old self most of the time when he was healthy, I chose Jordan. Michael Morse does hit ball hard as Dan Presiac says, but he had an inflated BABIP and only walked in 6.3% of his plate appearances.
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