Martin Prado -The National League's MVP?
by Scott Coleman on Jul 4, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
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Half of the season is over. Can you believe it? For my money, Martin Prado has easily been the Braves' MVP for the first half of the season. Could he be more though? Could he be the MVP of the National League if he keeps this up? The first thought is a resounding "NO.", but check this out.
Through 81 games:
Martin has been incredible consistent this season. Besides a little mini-slump he had on the most recent road trip, he's been as steady as they come.
So, let's say that Prado has the exact same 2nd half that he had the 1st half. I know it won't happen, but I'm honestly not sure if his numbers will improve or worsen as the season continues. And don't you dare give me that "He's good, but lucky..." bull crap. The great hitters make their own luck. And that's exactly what Martin Prado is: A great hitter.
If he keeps this pace up:
Now let's take a look at Dustin Pedroia's stat line when he won the American League MVP in 2008. The Red Sox also won the Wild Card in '08 with 95 wins. The Braves are on pace for 96 wins, the best record in the NL and a playoff berth. I'm sorry, but unless you have a Hall of Fame worthy season on a non-contending team, you shouldn't win the award. Being a part of a winning team plays a huge role and Prado is certainly on a winning team.
You can do the comparisons.
If Martin Prado keeps this up, he's not just a a candidate for National League MVP, but one of the favorites for the award. Get ready for one hell of a ride.
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one word to answer that question: YES
he’s been phenomenal this year
...in dixie land i'll take my stand to root for Atlanta
Pitchers aside...
(Afterall,Jimmenez has actually won over 30% of the Rockies games).The question for me is who is second in the voting? Votto is having a super year,but has a killer lineup around him.Eithier has had a special season. CarGo has been the Rockies version of Martin.Wright has to be up there as well.Oh, one other guy….the kid from St Louis? Yeah,Albert “something or other”. As hard as those guys play, they all finish second to Mr Prado in that category as well.You can throw the numbers out there…
Eh...
I think there are other candidates – Wright, Votto, Holliday and Pujols, if you want to filter WAR by playoff contention – but he certainly deserves to be in the conversation. The fact that he doesn’t hit for power and doesn’t steal bases is going to hurt them with the incompetant voters, but he’d have to get some votes if the season ended today…
MileHighReport.com member since 02/06/07, promoted to "Position Coach" (i.e. new staff writer) on 02/16/10!
prado, if he keeps this up, has to be the mvp
When everyone was slumping, he was the only one hitting, winning us a lot of games.
now, he is the sparkplug and our offense obviously needs him. isnt that the definition of the award?
What can be said about him that hasn't already been said? His every adjustment is a gift, his every at-bat a festival, his every swing a cool dewy breeze tinged with raspberry and incense. The only question is whether he'll win multiple MVPs or merely the Nobel Prize for Looking Like He Has Been There Before.
mvhsbball
i stated this in a fanpost telling us to vote for prado, and you said not to get ahead of myself, so… and i said its like pedroia and in a year no one has really stepped up for MVP, prado very well deserves it
I believe MVP standings right now should be like
1. Votto
2. Prado
3. The Machine
OJ didn't do it
You also have to consider...
…Adrian Gonzalez. What he is doing in that park with that lineup around him puts him right in the conversation, too.
pedroia was not the best candidate for MVP and prado isn’t either. still, he should be in the conversation since he is one of the league’s best hitters… at least as a reference point for comparative purposes.
there really wasn’t a better candidate than Pedroia in 2008
http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2008.shtml
the only one who are better are Youk and Quentin…Quentin missed 30 games down the stretch. and Pedroia won over Youk bc of the steals most likely and playing a more important defensive position.
It was a pretty weak class for the AL MVP in 2008. Thats not the case in the NL this year. Votto is raking. Albert Pujols is alive. And there is a slew of pitchers who could win it this year.
Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?
by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST
Again, I don't have a dog in this fight but this is kind of hubris.
According to Fangraphs, the WAR leaders are David Wright, Joey Votto, Matt Holiday, Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, Albert Pujols, and Josh Willingham.
David Wright deserves to be the MVP if the season ended today. He plays great defense at a corner position and is truly, truly mashing right now.
Prado’s having a great season and deserves to be the all-star starter at 2B. He’s a great player and if this were player value (WAR taken into consideration with salary) it would be him with David Wright.
And for anyone complaining about the Braves going after international players in the last thread Prado was signed by the Braves as an international free agent. Congratulations to your wise front office as always.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
Prado's 3.1 WAR
is the same as Pujols and Willingham. They’re “ahead” of him by mere percentage points (actually, Willingham isn’t ahead of him at all). Prado’s high enough to be in the discussion, and when you consider that Utley is going to be out for 8 weeks, there’s a dog that will fall out of the race.
The MVP doesn’t always have to be THE leader in WAR: certainly, even when using WAR, you’ve got Fangraphs WAR and B-R WAR. FanGraphs uses UZR to tabulate the defense, which is a significant portion of how WAR is valued, but there’s other defensive metrics which can have discrepancies like Total Zone or DRS. For example, Matt Holliday is way up there, but a big part of what’s keeping him among the leaders is the 17.8 UZR/150 pace he’s maintaining, where he’s never been more than 5 runs above average on defense. When you look at DRS, it’s actually much less impressive.
I’m not saying Prado is the MVP, but he should definitely be in the discussion going forward if he can maintain his current pace.
Sure he should be in the discussion. That's fine. He's a great player.
Votto’s been better. Wright’s been better by a bunch. Where’s the evidence that contradicts that?
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
I am not sure of the criteria for a ballplayer to become MVP (it seems like they focus on HR, Ave. and RBI) but from what I have seen, Prado is the best player on the team with the best record. That is enough for me to consider him a MVP.
My 4 guys (Hudson, Hanson, Meds, JJ) can take on anybody's 4 guys (the MLB) and Victory will be ours!
by romone_braves91 on Jul 4, 2010 10:33 AM EDT reply actions
I wish you guys would stop pimping Prado for MVP
he’s been awesome—maybe one of the top 5 guys in the league. “Maybe one of the top 5” is not the same thing as “the best.” Comparing Prado’s stats to Pedroia’s is meaningless, since the MVP is comparative to the other plays in the league in a given year. Pedroia only won because it was a weak year in the AL in 2008. This year in the NL is not.
Pujols is a bit down from his normal numbers but is still better than Martin. Wright and Votto are both clearly more deserving as well—and on playoff-contending teams. You could also make a good case for Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Holliday and Scott Rolen. If Ethier stays healthy the rest of the year and plays at this level, he’d be ahead of Martin, too, I’d think. The highest I could play Martin right now is 4th:
1) Wright (.313 / .391 / .543 and a .400 wOBA from 3B)
2) Votto (.313 / .414 / .574 and a .425 wOBA from 1B)
3) Pujols (.306 / .415 / .571 and a .411 wOBA from 1B)
4) Prado (.336 / .375 / .482 and a .373 wOBA from 2B)
Actually, I think even 4th is being somewhat generous to Prado. He might only deserve 5th or 6th right now. But he’s certainly not ahead of those 3, no matter how you slice it. This isn’t a knock on Martin at all—he’s a helluva player and I love him to death. But let’s not take leave of our senses just because he’s having an awesome year. Awesome != best.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jul 4, 2010 11:30 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Buzzkill…
"Never doubt Derek Lowe's ability to win despite himself."
by EricGreggWasPaidOff on Jul 4, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
If the shoe fits...
I don’t play favorites when it comes to awards. Unless a guy is a world-class douchebag, a la Barry Bonds.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jul 4, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Pagnosis…remember when that guy called you out near the beginning of the year about how he didn’t like your writing style and he was going to quit coming to TC because of you….maybe he was right!!!!!
haha. Just kidding man!
by dunnytwogloves on Jul 4, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
this so much
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Jul 4, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
someone on this board has a brain
awesome
"Infield hits are sexy, because they require technique."
-Ichiro
by VivaLosBravos on Jul 4, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I am just going to keep repeating this...
…since nobody puts him on the list, but I think you have to consider Adrian Gonzalez, too. When park factors are included, he is right up there with that group.
by cavebird on Jul 4, 2010 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
You always wonder what Adrian Gonzalez would like if he were in a real lineup instead of one where he has to carry the whole team on his back. After next year, we’ll probably find out.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
You need to get out on some other boards and make your voice known in these times.
There’s going to be some blowback on all of the Braves taken and you should be sent forward as the emissary of reason, especially at Red Reporter to represent that there is some folks who can see beyond homerism amongst the Braves’ fan base.
People can root for who they want and rep their team how they want, but if this were a neutral board with a lot of people on it and you made a case for him as more than a top 5 candidate, you’d probably get laughed out the room.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
definitely
he’s been the most consistent piece in our entire batting lineup
Regardless of how that shakes out
The only thing he probably cares about winning, is the World Series
And maybe Team MVP
Morton hit Heyward with an offspeed pitch. Early indication is that the baseball survived the impact.
Just like Pedroia didn’t deserve his MVP, Prado doesn’t deserve one either.
As much as it sucks, unless he hits near .400, he won’t win without power.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 4, 2010 12:27 PM EDT reply actions
Very true
Ichiro doesn’t win MVP’s either. I’ve been trying to find a decent comp to Prado’s 1st half, 80 games, 115 hits, 38 multi-hit games, 7 HR’s, Ichiro is pretty close.
Heyward is pretty good
really
I had no idea, sorry.
Heyward is pretty good
it was his rookie year.
has he won it since? no.
better question:
have the M’s made the playoffs since? no.
the Atlantaxation of Chattanooga.
Omar Infante is an all-star
Weird. I can only guess that Charlie want to have an extra reserve who could play any position in case the game runs long or something.
Just for the record...
I know Marteeen probably isn’t going to win the award. I was just having a little fun. Prado has been a personal favorite for 3 years now and I love to see him succeed.
I had to sit here all off-season and hear how much better Kelly Johnson is/was than Prado and how the Braves were making a mistake. It got annoying.
Just lighten up a bit. We’re in 1st place in the NL. Let’s celebrate our great, All Star 2nd baseman.
"Sharks have a week dedicated to Jason Heyward."
METS: My Entire Team Sucks.
Wow…
I’m pretty sure that every debate that was started was initiated by an Anti-KJ comment, or an antagonistic Prado comment…yet YOU had to endure it?
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Jul 4, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
For the record
Martin is better than Kelly.
"Yeah, and I have an enchanted jock strap." -- Karl Karlson
by Jacob Peterson on Jul 4, 2010 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Well yes, I’ve been saying this for a year now.
"Sharks have a week dedicated to Jason Heyward."
METS: My Entire Team Sucks.
by Scott Coleman on Jul 4, 2010 3:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Without question.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
I see a troll under that bridge!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jul 4, 2010 12:41 PM EDT reply actions
Baseball is an individual sport disguised as a team sport.
Prado shouldn’t win because of the braves. he should win because of his own skills.
Random......How is the manager of the All-Star Game decided?
Why is Chaz Manual seemingly just “doing it again,” anyways?
It’s supposedly another prominent NL manager’s last year…..from what I hear. And his club is in 1st place. And he hangs out with Prado a whole lot.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
I see a troll under that bridge!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jul 4, 2010 12:49 PM EDT reply actions
Ugh. Doh! Thanks.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
I see a troll under that bridge!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Jul 4, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Not in 1st Place
Just to correct, Manuel’s club is NOT in first place and hasn’t been for several weeks.
All Stars
Prado will start at 2nd bae
Hudson will pitch
McCann and Infante go as reserves
Heyward wins starting job, but obviosly won’t play
Best Braves showing in quite a few years
Heyward is pretty good
pedroias year
was still a bit better than martins projected year.. less k’s more walks, and those 20 steals i think are a big deal. if prado can mash 18-20 homeruns this year, i think it would help him alot. and maybe if he can steal 15.
second, if prado would not be so hung up on making contact a la ichiro, and his OBP was much higher than his BA.. i think he would be more deserving. prado just loves to get hits, so he wont walk much just like ichiro does. their OBP and BA seem to stay pretty close to one another.
Admitted bias on my part,
but I think the MVP would go to David Wright. He’s had a great year as someone mentioned above, he plays in NY so that bias would probably influence the voters, and he’s having a bounce-back from what was a “poor” season last year.
"I want to win now, not 3 years from now. That's my stance." - Kevin Burkhardt
Yep.
Wright would get my vote at this point in the season. If he keeps putting up the numbers he’s been putting up as Ike Davis finds his levelling point and Bay continues to be decent but not up to contract, he would deserve it if the Mets can contend for much of the year.
On a desperate search for Sunshine at Nats Park.
If the Braves make the playoffs and Prado keeps this pace up, he absolutely deserves to be considered. However, individual awards are often times a product of the hype, and as such can be rather pointless.
I’d rather see a WS ring on Prado’s finger next spring than see how many indiviidual awards the team can rack up.
"Jason Heyward was a Greek philosopher reincarnated as a baseball player." - Don Sutton
Honestly, these are good points, and Prado has put up amazing numbers. He has been the catalyst at the top of the order, but he hasn’t quite carried the team. As a predominately singles hitter without walks or steals, he needs the rest of the order to hit with him. The way the Braves have been playing lately, they are using superior pitching and timely hitting, playing together. That’s why despite having many homers, they have produced at a superior level. Other NLers have carried their team more than just being one critical cog in a great wheel. Prado doesn’t deserve the NL MVP in my opinion. But he does deserve great credit for his impressive season. Right now he is probably the Braves’ MVP.
And as UMDBHIK said, I would rather see a WS ring than an MVP.
Prado's like
“My dick is yay big”
4/4/10
The Braves will win 90 games this year.
BEEMER BENZ OR BENTLY
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