MLB’s MVP Races Wide-Open

Someday, maybe 10 or 15 years down the road, we might look back on Albert Pujols as the greatest player of his generation — or even the first superstar of baseball's post-steroid era.

But five years into a career that has "Hall of Fame" written all over it, Pujols hasn't managed to be the most valuable player in his own league for even one season. Four times, admittedly, he has missed out to Barry Bonds, who might have tapped into the "cream" and the "clear" for his power.

No similar cloud hangs over the Cardinals' first baseman. His numbers this year, when Major League Baseball has established something resembling a steroid-testing program, mirror those he logged in past seasons, so Pujols either is clean or he's pretty good at hiding his cheating.

Bonds isn't around this year, so this represents Pujols' first, best chance at winning the National Most Valuable Player award.

And, if justice prevails, he'll miss out again.

With the regular season heading into its final 20 games, three of the National League's four playoff races are all but decided, with only the wildcard race still in serious doubt.

The MVP race is razor thin with three players — Pujols, Chicago's Derrek Lee, and Andruw Jones of Atlanta — still in the running.

In the American League, there are more candidates, including two Red Sox players, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, along with New York's Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels, and Texas' Mark Teixeira.

But the American League race is more clear-cut than the National League's.

National League

Lee, at best, is only on the fringes of MVP consideration, especially with his Cubs well out of playoff contention. His worthiness hinges entirely on the question of whether the MVP is an award for the league's best player or for the guy who helps his team the most.

If it's the former, he might have a shot. If it's the latter, well, as Branch Rickey once reportedly told former Pirates' slugger Ralph Kiner, "We could have finished last (or third in the Cubbies' case) without you."

I like to think the award goes to the best player on a team that is at least contending, unless the player makes a contribution that greatly exceeds those of anyone on the contending teams.

Lee qualifies on neither count. His numbers — .342 batting average, 41 home runs, and 98 RBIs as of Sept. 10 — are in, but not far enough above, the range of his two main competitors.

That leaves Jones and Pujols.

On that count, Jones' manager, Bobby Cox, might have come up with the most salient point when he said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Without him, we might be smelling trail dust out there."

"Might," nothing.

In a year, the Braves' vaunted pitching staff has only the fifth-best ERA in the National League — below division rivals New York and Washington and just above Florida — and was racked with injuries — including one to emotional leader Chipper Jones — which forced the team to depend heavily on rookies.

Were it not for Andruw Jones' league-leading 46 home runs and 118 RBIs, Atlanta might find itself looking up at the Mets, Nationals, and Marlins in the standings. Instead, the Braves were six games clear of the field with only 20 to play.

Without Pujols, the Cardinals, who lead the NL Central by 14 games with 19 to go, would likely still be playoff bound. St. Louis has the league's top pitching staff and has a human highlight reel in Jim Edmonds patrolling centerfield.

Even though Jones is hitting only .271 — a good 66 points below Pujols and 71 below Lee — his RBI total indicates that he clusters his hits when the Braves put runners on base. And the Braves' won-lost record shows Jones gets his hits in crucial situations.

American League

The issue here is more clear-cut, even though the field of contenders is larger.

The MVP should go to the Yankees' Rodriguez, even though New York might miss out on the postseason — the Yanks are four games behind Boston in the AL East and trail Cleveland by one-and-a-half in the wildcard.

It's not, as happens so often, simply a matter of statistics. In Boston, Ortiz and Ramirez have similar home run numbers and better RBI totals, although A-Rod has a much higher batting average.

In the voting, though, Ortiz and Ramirez might split a Red Sox vote, allowing Rodriguez to sneak through.

Ironically, that works to benefit the most worthy candidate. One player carrying the greatest share of his team's load is, by definition, more valuable than either of two players sharing the effort.

Guerrero could also sneak through, although the Angels have gotten a lot more help from their pitching staff than the Yankees have from theirs.

Barring a surprise by the Angels' star, Rodriguez and Andruw Jones should share the top individual honors, while Pujols, for at least another year, will have to settle for unofficial "best player" status yet again.