Question about Joe Mauer as an MVP candidate. Should he be?

Personally, i believe you need to be on a better team to win the MVP. The award goes to a valuable player, what value does someone have if he can't get their team anywhere? I don't think you have to be in the playoffs, but at least competing for a playoff spot in the last week. otherwise it should be called best player award, not most valuable.

For the MVP Race in the AL i think its him and Texiera and maybe Jeter BUT more Mauer and Texiera and yes in 2006 Justin Morneau won and that's it i still think Jeter should of won but i read and heard he did not win because the Fact he played for the Yankees and the Yankees had good players behind him and that's why so playing in big market teams can hurt and help you it goes both ways.

To me an MVP is a player who's numbers are just amazing and if his team is in the playoff race or not it does not have an affect on me and like Arod in 2003 won the mvp and Texas was a bad team and also he cant control the whole team like example what if he good but the rest of the team can't do the job he should not get penalized

The season isn't over, but right now Mauer should be the ONLY worthy candidate for consideration. He's blowing away everyone else.

Unfortunately, the voters have largely bought into the nonsensical meme that the MVP should come from a postseason, or at least a strongly contending, team.

This idiocy rests upon two false myths. One, it presupposes that a genuinely great performance can overcome all weaknesses of the player's team -- in effect, it penalizes a great player for the failings of his teammates. Two, it conflates VALUE, which is not at all difficult to extract from the stats, with DRAMA, which can be valuable to writers since it makes their job easier, but provides nothing material on the diamond.

Consider four scenarios involving MVP-class players and their respective teams. These are hypothetical, but I've provided an example for each one.

A. Great player season on a great team. Joe Studly demolishes the league while his team, the roster jam-packed with a brilliant supporting cast at their individual peaks, puts away the division race before Labor Day. "They would have won without him." (Albert Belle, 1995 Cleveland Indians.)

B. Great player season on a just-not-good-enough team. This time Studly crushed the opposition, but injuries and past-peak teammates just couldn't put it together, and they hang around in second or close third place but never really challenge. "Didn't inspire his team." (Mark McGwire, 1998 St. Louis Cardinals.)

C. A really good player season, the type that would be an easy MVP choice most seasons, but here was clearly, CLEARLY, the second-best in the league behind Studly. But his team had just enough oomph to squeak into a postseason berth. Best player on a team just good enough to get a ticket to October. "Got the job done." (Sammy Sosa, 1998 Chicago Cubs.)

D. A monster player season (but not quite Bonds-peak class) on a deadweight team. Not in the basement but not going anywhere, either. "They can lose with or without him." (Joe Mauer, 2009 Minnesota Twins.)

Which player is going to take home his league's MVP Award? C, because he presented the most dramatic scenario -- despite that he did NOT provide the most value.

A more straightforward example? OK. Game 7 is starting in Fenway Park in five minutes. The box office has one ticket left, price $100. Two fans are standing outside; Fan R has $90 in his pocket, Fan Y has $75. A $20 bill comes tumbling down Yawkey Way, blown by the Back Bay winds. If Fan R grabs it, he can buy the ticket and have $10 left over with which to buy a commemorative Red Sox championship pennant. If Fan Y picks up the $20 bill, he's still stuck outside with $95 and no ticket. Fan R clearly can make BETTER USE of the $20 bill, but the value of the bill is invariant. Its value does not change because of its context. (And, indeed, if Fan Y's billfold contains another $20 bill, a $5 bill, and a $50 bill, that Grant bill is the MOST valuable bill outside the box office; the loose $20 is just filling in the corners.)

Drama is not value.

The season isn't over, but right now, Mauer should be the runaway, even the unanimous, 2009 AL MVP Award winner.

I think Joe Mauer should win the MVP. But he is also a front-runner for the batting title. not only has he hit for a high average. but he also has power which is rare for catchers. I think Charley Waters is a crybaby because he doesn't seem to appreciate the way Mauer plays. I mean look at it this way, the Cards didn't make the postseason last year and yet Pujols still won the NL MVP. So I don't think it should hurt Mauer's chances either. But for a second thought maybe because in the AL its more competitive so I don't think Mauer will get it. Maybe Texeira.

Boy, Charlie Walters hasn't changed from my days of living in the Twin Cities. What hurts Mauer is that the Twins are not doing well as a team. Teams in the playoff hunt help MVP candidates. That being said, I won't say Mauer has no chance for MVP. If he is going to hover around .400 in September or even finish above that magic mark, I would say that he would have a good chance for the award, because he would have done something that no one has done in nearly 60 years.

I remember Andre Dawson winning an MVP award while playing for a last place Cubs team.Joe Mauer is in a similar situation with the Twins.Would the Cubs have finished in last without Dawson?Yes.Are the Twins in a playoff hunt with Mauer?No.Would they be out of it without Mauer?Yes.He is having a great year - personal stat wise,but but can you honestly say he is the most valuable player in the entire league?If he were really that valuable the Twins would be in at least their division race because the AL Central leader is only a few games over .500.The league MVP should at least be able to get his team over .500 by more than a few games.

Joe Mauer - great personal year?YES

MVP?NO WAY

sure Mauer is a legitmate MVP candidate, yet he won't win this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. Mauer continues to be very youthful (26) and on the tip of his profession he would be referred to as between the suited catcher of all time and he will win a minimum of three MVP. The AL MVP might desire to be Justin Morneau, yet Mark Teixera will win it by means of communities fulfillment. The Twins are loaded with great gamers, yet they are able to't win. Twins desire extra useful pitching.

Joe mauer is having a career year with the twins. He's batting .381, with 25 home runs and 77 rbi's his OPS (0n base plus slugging %) is 1.095. Mark Texeria is having an amazing year too .283 BA 31HR 89RBI .937 OPS. Those are great numbers too, but that amazingly high BA this late in the year and his pursuit of .400, Mauer is 2009's MVP

Kevin Youkilis: 2nd Highest in the American League in OBP, 3rd Highest SLG in the American league, 2nd highest OPS in the American League, T-12th highest average in the American League, T-12th in the American League in walks, T-10th in home runs in the American League, T-12th in doubles in the American League, T-14th in runs in the American League, and he has really helped during injuries on the Red Sox by going over to third and at times even left field. That's more than you can say about Mauer, Morneau, Texiera, Jeter etc.

the only reason its close between texiera and mauer is because mauer missed the whole month of april due to injury.

texiera only has like 12 more rbis than mauer. and you know mauer would have had more than 12 in the whole month of april if he had played so he should win this mvp race going away