He has a funny-sounding last name, but Albert Pujols is a damn good baseball player. He won his second MVP today, and deservedly so. A buddy asked me if Pujols should have won the award. There is discussion from time to time of whether players on non-playoff teams should be considered. Of course, the answer is YES!
It seems that in leagues like the NBA, a player must be on a top two or three team in his conference to get serious consideration. In MLB, a player can win it even if his team finishes fourth in their division.
Pujols has MVP-like numbers (.357/.462/.653, 44 2B, 37 HR, 116 RBI), and along with his truly outstanding defense, it is easy to make the case that Pujols was more valuable to the Cardinals' 86 wins than Ryan Howard (the second-place finisher) was to the Phillies' 92 wins and World Series crown.
Let's just hope Pujols heals correctly from elbow surgery this off-season and is back in the St. Louis lineup on Opening Day.
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