Albert Pujols won his third MVP award today, second in a row, by a unanimous vote. In other news, the sun came up today in the East, much as had been expected.
Pujols nearly doubled the point total of the second-place vote getter, Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins. Albert received 32 first-place votes for 448 points; Ramirez garnered 233 points overall.
I don't mean to sound bored, of course, but Pujols winning the MVP this year barely registers as news, to be honest. Anyone even peripherally aware of the game of baseball knows Albert Pujols is the best player in the game. Babies being born right now already know of Albert's awesomeness, as their mothers unknowingly communicated it to them through a sort of uterine Morse Code. He is the best hitter in the game, the best first baseman in the game, and the most consistent player in the game. Day after day, year after year, Albert Pujols does what Albert Pujols does.
Pujols now has the fourth most MVP votes in the history of the award, trailing only Barry Bonds, Stan Musial, and Ted Williams. (He's just ahead of some dude named Willie Mays.)
Pujols has finished in the top five in the MVP vote eight of the nine years he's been in the league. Three times he finished second to Barry Bonds. If not for Victor Conte, what might have been...
Pujols' walk rate has increased every year of his career. We hear so much about needing protection for him, but being pitched around certainly hasn't stopped him from being more and more productive.
His OPS this year was 1.101; it's the second year in a row and fourth overall he's posted an 1.100+ OPS. Only twice has his OPS been under 1.000, in 2002 (.955), and 2007 (.997).
He stole 16 bases this year, leading the team. And in case you haven't noticed, Albert isn't the most fleet-footed individual.
In short, Albert Pujols is the best player in the game of baseball, the best of our generation, and one of the best ever. He should win the MVP pretty much ever year, because he's better than everyone else every single year.
So congratulations, Albert. Now, how about we get that way-under-market-value contract signed, hmm?
