Rollins named National League Most Valuable Player

Teammate Ryan Howard, who won the award last season, finished fifth in the voting, while Chase Utley, considered a front-runner until suffering a hand injury, finished eighth. [Final voting]

From a BBWAA release - Of the 32 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city, Rollins was listed first on 16, second on seven, third on four, fourth on four and fifth on one for a total of 353 points, based on the tabulation system that rewards 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third and on down to one for 10th. Matt Holliday’s breakdown was 11 first-place votes, 18 seconds, one third, one fourth and one sixth for 336 points. The 17-point differential between Rollins and Holliday made the 2007 election the ninth closest in the NL since the current format was adopted in 1938.

Beerleaguer: The writers have spoken and J-Roll was the best. One could debate the outcome forever, but the case for Rollins was rock solid, down to the final stats, which supposedly favored Holliday.

Rollins was the first player in history to produce 200 hits (212) and 20 doubles (38), triples (20), home runs (30) and stolen bases (41) in a season. He set a league record for shortstops with 380 total bases, breaking Ernie Banks’ mark set in 1958. His 139 runs and 88 extra-base hits were league records for a shortstop. He also set a Major League record with 716 at-bats, and became the third shortstop in history to have at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in a season.

So we ask again – who’s the greater statistical standout, Holliday – a superb-hitting left fielder – or the player setting new offensive precedents at the most demanding position on the field? My vote - the majority vote - goes to the player who's asked to lead on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, 2007 was J-Roll at his very best. Flashing an arm that was better than ever, Jimmy took the field in all 162 games, backing up his pre-season boast that the Phillies, not the Mets, were the team to beat. And he made sure the Mets remembered it. He smoked the Mets. Smoked 'em.

Here’s another argument that holds little water: “Rollins has better players around him.” They gutted out the loss of Chase Utley, they overcame Ryan Howard’s trip to the DL, they endured through the worst pitching staff in the league, yet there’s no doubt they would have been sitting home in October if Jimmy had missed even a single, solitary game.

This was Jimmy's team.

Comments

[Kevin]

so glad they got it right. he was such a pleasure to watch this year.

[GM-Carson]

Jimmy Rollins had an amazing season, one for the record books. He or Holliday would have been solid picks, but I'm glad it's J-Roll!

[Tartan69]

Chutley for MVP in 08!

[paul]

congrats on scooping espn.com, beerleaguer

[ZT]

Yeah Chase for MVP in 2008!

[Tim from Williamsport]

A bit "Attaboy" for my man J-Roll, let's hope he keeps up the MVP numbers next season.

[RSB]

This is the best news since Myers struck out Wily Mo Pena to clinch the East. I'm ecstatic for Jimmy, who's long been one of my favorite players to watch. He's taken some heat over the years, but this is a day that all must concur that Rollins has evolved into a great player - and far more than most thought he would become. My most sincere congratulations!

[ZT]

Oh and thanks J for the picture, its my new desktop background

[bay_area_phan]

My "Jimmy is a future Hall of Famer" argument just got substantially stronger.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

He's soooooo overrated!!!!!!

/Crazy Jon impression

[D. Patrone]

J-ROLL: MVP! J-ROLL: MVP! J-ROLL: MVP!

Congrats! Little-Big Man! Continue to speak softly & carry the big stick. Silver Slugger and Gold Glove. Now c'mon management, finish putting the puzzle together. It's Utley's turn in '08.

[Tartan69]

Who were the a$$holes that gave him four 4th place votes and one 5th place vote? I can see maybe as low as 3rd, but come on.

Unless it was Steve Spurrier, then that of course would be funny.

[bay_area_phan]

Phillies had 3 guys in the top 10 voting. Howard finished 5th & Utley 8th.

[The Truth Injection]

Awesome news...It's a really good time to be a Phillies fan in this town as they start to win back the city little by little.

Not to be a huge buzzkill but with back to back MVP's (and Utley a candidate up until his injury) it highlights the fact that the talent is here on this team and makes it even more urgent that management opens up the checkbook and brings in the pieces to at least get these guys deeper into the playoffs. Strike while the iron is white hot

[phila fan in dc]

Congrats Jimmy. You gave us Goosebumps all season.

[Brett]

J-ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
He proves that you're as big a man as you choose to be.

[UD Hens]

Congrats to J-Roll!
Let's make it three in a row next year with Utley and let's add a Cy Young winner to that list too with Cole.

[ae]

to answer the inevitable question: yes, it has happened before that one team has won three consecutive MVPs with three consecutive players.

1961-63 New York Yankees
Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard
1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals
Mort Cooper, Stan Musial, Marty Marion
1941-43 New York Yankees
Joe Dimaggio, Joe Gordon, Spud Chandler
1938-40 Cincinnati Reds
Ernie Lombardi, Bucky Walters, Frank McCormick

[yt]

Good for Jimmy, he deserves it.

I have to concur with Tartan above, who the hell is drawing a pay-check as a sports writer and ranking Rollins 6 in the MVP race? That is an absolute joke.

[Javie from Virginia]

Awesome....I have always been down on J-Roll until this season. That first pitch swinging used to drive me nuts. He was great to watch and very deserving. I have the baseball bug again....Is it April yet?

[ZT]

2006-08 Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley

[JD]

Way to go, J-Roll! Richly deserved.

[CJ]

I gotta commend the voters this year. They really got the awards right, in my mind. Had Holliday won, I would have been disappointed, and I would have thought them wrong, but I could accept that. Rollins was the clear choice, however, and the voters got it right.

Aside from the numbers (which are remarkable), J-Roll told the world the Phils were the team to beat and then backed it up.

Against the Mets this year, Rollins hit .346 with 4 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 15 RBI and 8 stolen bases in 81 ABs. Had he played the Mets every game this year (he got 716 ABs this year), he would extrapolate to rougly 54 HR, 135 RBI and 72 stolen bases.

This is the 5th time in 8 seasons J-Roll has received an MVP vote.

[Mike]

Pat Burrell is clearly the early favorite to win the 2008 National League MVP award.....

[Jon]

Nicely done J-Roll! The more I look into his numbers, the more impressive they become!

Now lets see Gillick get your team some more help to keep the Muts at bay!

Chase in '08!

[ae]

after Cole Hamels wins 30 games in 33 starts, it's going to be awful hard to ignore him in the MVP voting ;)

[Mike]

It's fun to see the Rockies fans whine and complain about how Rollins didn't deserve it/Holliday got jobbed/He won a batting title, etc., yada yada. I can't recall reading on any Phillies blog/message board that Holliday was an undeserving candidate. I guess I'd rather be a "classless" Philadelphia fan than an incessant bitcher and moaner.

[JD]

J-Roll got one fifth place vote. Fifth?? Who could watch baseball this season and come up with that?

[ZT]

I didn't know Colorado had fans

[from the district]

they didn't until around September 10th. Thats why they don't realize that J Roll was MVP. They only watched two weeks of the season.

[rickyj21]

If you want to know who to blame for that 5th place vote, I'm assuming it was the same Chicago writer that voted Soriano 3rd and Carlos Marmol 10th...

[Tartan69]

Mike: Pat Burrell is clearly the early favorite to win the 2008 National League MVP award.....

Well it *is* a contract year

[ae]

I know this is going to be an unpopular sentiment around these parts, but if anybody got "jobbed," it was David Wright. he had a genuinely incredible season - hit the 30/30 milestone, played excellent defense, and absolutely killed it during August/September (.372/.474/.628). for that he gets left off four ballots?

[Phillieanthropist]

MVP, normally I wouldn't care, but I would have been offended if Jimmy Rollins didn't win. Too often it's the player with the gaudiest stats who wins, and that's fine, but Jimmy had awesome stats--across the board--played a demanding position, and the Phillies could truly have been lost without him.

I'm not sure of the precise stats, but he played all but 17 or so innings, and after some date in June the Phillies didn't win a game in which he didn't score. If that's not valuable, then I'm not sure what is.

Oh yeah, and in a day where many talk the talk, but few walk the walk, Mr. Rollins did both.

[Willard Preacher]

Terrible news for the '08 season. I don't want to hear any excuses about the banquet circuit!!!

I was actually thinking a close 2nd place would mean one hell of a revenge effort next year. Luckily, I think he's a guy who gives his all every day, irregardless of motivation.

[The Theory]

I'm happy Jimmy won... although I would have supported Holliday, also. I mean, after the Rockies totally schooled us in the playoffs...? yeah.

But I guess that is why ballots are finalized before the playoffs start...

[phanatics brother]

Thanks J ROLL !!

[Deutsche Phan]

Congrats to the smooth-talking, sweet-swinging stud.

A little disheartened that Chase only came in 8th. His numbers were pretty remarkable for having missed those games. The tri-fecta is really a possibility.

[clout]

To me, the season belongs to Jimmy Rollins. If he continues to play as he has in ST, showing tremendous K/BB ratio and pitch-selectivity, he can single-handedly carry the team. His skills are that good. If that happens and there are no catastrophic injuries, I can see 90 wins.

Posted by: clout | Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 03:22 PM

[Joe]

Who would have voted for neither J-Roll or Holliday? 5 people voted for Fielder 1st?

[clout]

ae: When is the last time a team had two separate MVPs back-to-back and did not win the league pennant either year?

[UD Hens]

Ironically, if Utley had not gotten hurt and continued to play at his MVP pace, Rollins and Utley would have taken votes from each other. Holliday would have won the MVP and Rollins and Utley would have finished 2nd and 3rd.

[UD Hens]

Not to take anything away from J-Roll. He absolutely deserves the MVP.

[stjoehawk]

"When is the last time a team had two separate MVPs back-to-back and did not win the league pennant either year?"

San Francisco had Jeff Kent win the MVP in 2000 & Bonds in 2001. They made the playoffs in 2000 (losing in the NLDS to the Mets) and didn't make the post-season in 2001.

[Mike]

clout: Giants did it in 2000-2001 with Kent, then Bonds.

[Mike]

Beat me to it Hawk...

[good article]

http://miraclemets.net/?p=563

[Bob]

the only reason this vote was so close is because howard and utley got 200 of rollins' votes. other wise holiday wouldn;t have been close

[Tray]

I agree, ae. I would have voted for Wright. As Neyer points out over on espn, Wright wasn't at all to blame for their collapse, he hit .400 during those last 17 games.

[Bob]

a player on a team that collapses in september can't be that valuable

[Slocs]

I actually agree that Wright did get over-looked. I predict he and Chase will be in the hunt next year but Pat the Mo-FO Bat is gonna take it.

I think you gotta love that the Phillies went after Lowell. The said thing is Lowell used them to try and get a 4th year from Boston. Betcha his agent won't be receiving a Pat Gillick Christmas card.

[PhightinPhils]

Warms my heart to peek at the comments on metsblog and see frustration, disappoint, bickering and some respect.

Is it wrong to take pleasure in another's pain?

Who cares if it is!

Attaboy Jimmy.

[Mike Cunningham]

I think there's a difference between having a great season... and doing something historic.

Rollins season was historic. It might not be RUTHIAN in nature. But it might have been Mays-like.

Also, on the face of it, Rollins makes other players better, rather than the other way around. Having Utley and Howard on the team, just means when he gets on base, he usually scores. But it's more than that... he sets the tone for the team. And those intangibles put the Phillies over the edge.

Wright had a great season... but new york voters especially will note the defensive failures of Wright in the last 2 weeks of the season that helped fuel the collapse. Wright hasn't yet proved that he makes others better. Because now matter how well he hit, they still collapsed in a HISTORIC fashion. If the race was tighter and the Phillies edged, I would gather Wright would get more votes. But their collapse was historic in nature.

As for Holliday... I would have been completely fine with a Co-MVP (ala stargell/hernandez). I would have been disappointed with a Holliday victory, but I would have accepted it.

I think at the end of the day... the RIGHT man won.

Way to Go J-ROLL!

[MG]

Funny, but Ed Wade looks like a genius for signing JRoll to a long-term contract (signed through 2010 with a club option of $8.5 M in 2011) now.

I remember that Ed Wade took more flack at the time for signing JRoll to a long-term deal in June '05 compared to the Burrell signing. Funny how things work out sometimes.

[sdphillie]

J-Roll walked the walk after talking the talk.

Congratulations for a job well done.

[MG]

JRoll basically won the MVP this year because of his increased HR production and a big jump in triples (9 to 20) that lead to a big jump in his .SLG percentage.

Does anybody really recall getting a good answer from JRoll himself on how he managed to increase his power production so much the past two years? Going from 12 HRs to 30 HRs is a huge jump.

[MG]

Funny but I remember how the AL was loaded with SS several years ago (ARod, Jeter, Nomar, Tejada) and now it is the NL that has the clear advantage in talent here (Rollins, Ramirez, Reyes, Tulowski).

Probably one of the few positions where the NL has better talent right now than the AL too.

[control13]

MG:

What are you trying to say?

[CarpGuy]

I think it's safe to say that where ever he is at the moment, Larry Bowa must be wearing a big old grin.

[MG]

control13 - Not a steroid conversation. Just wanted to hear JRoll talk about how he has really increased his power production without sacrificing much in the way OBP, AVG, or SB.

Is it a change in his batting stance? Approach at the plate? That would be an interesting thing to ask him about instead of all of the canned questions I am sure he will get about the MVP.

[Casey]

Wes Helms for '08 MVP!

[UD Hens]

Hey MG - are you pouting because it's clear that Jose Reyes is not the best SS in the NL? Does it upset you that he has fallen behind J-Roll, Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki?

[control13]

I guess you have to give Wade his props for that contract extension now. What a mixed bag of a record he oversaw as the GM.

Interesting to see how he does in Houston. Not that I want him back or anything.

[RSB]

MG: it isn't unusual for players to experience a spike in power when they reach their late 20s. In Rollins case, that spike has been augmented by CBP (20 of his 30 homers hit there) and a better overall approach at the plate. I wouldn't say his swing or his physique have really changed much from day one.

[mike nutter]

it is so refreshing to see that people are happy about rollins winning the mvp. check out thegoodphight.com and see how its all whining about how his vorp and win share aren't high enough and he shouldn't win but did because the writers aren't nearly as brilliant as the 4 people who comment on that site. thank you beerleaguer.

[Crazy Jon]

Good for J-Roll.
Let's trade him for an SP and a 3B/CF, now that his value has peaked.

[mike nutter]

i wish there was a way to make him a free agent so the phils could get those compensatory draft picks everyone is so crazy about.

[Ed in Westchester]

I'm sorry, how is it that the Mets failure to win the division should impact the voting for Wright? Didn't Howard win despite the Phillies not making the playoffs in 2006?

Wright in August and September was by far the best hitter on the Mets. And put up better numbers than Rollins:

Let’s look at September for a second (AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS):
Rollins – 298, 333, 542, 875 (this following an August of 296, 371, 487, 858)

Wright – 352, 432, 602, 1.034 (this following an August of 394, 516, 657, 1.173)

Oh, and the only month Rollins was statistically better than Wright was April. After that, the only close month was July. Wright put up superior stats in every other month.

The Mets didn't lose because of Wright's defense. They lost because their pitching staff sucked. It's quite simple.

As for making others better, that's the old "intangibles" comment that is thrown around about Jeter et al. When a player has good teammates around him (like Howard and Utley), does he really make them better?

I give Rollins credit, he had a very good season (though Reyes put up similar numbers in 2006, finishing 7th in the voting), and backed up the talk. Congrats to him. He is a very good player who I hate seeing the Mets face.

But for Wright to be left off of 4 ballots, and to finish behind Fielder is ridiculous.

[phila fan in dc]

On several occasions, the reigning NL MVP mentioned that he's been getting to the gym more often. A quick search leads to a phillies.com interview from January 11:

"MLB.com: Do you have an offseason conditioning program?

Rollins: I had a gym put in my basement, so I work out every day. My girlfriend is a personal trainer, so she helps me with my conditioning. I'm in my second week of hitting with help from [hitting coach] Milt Thompson."

[Crazy Jon]

Ed: What the eff?
This isn't Metsblog!
I'm the biggest J-Roll hater on here, and even I think your tirade about David Wright is slightly uncalled for today.

[UD Hens]

Just a week ago, the Mets were toying with the idea of signing A-Rod and moving Wright to 1B.

[Ed in Westchester]

Crazy Jon - um, I congratulated Rollins.

I simply stated some facts about Wright, to reply to comments Mike Cunningham posted.

I don't post on Metsblog.

UD Hens - Considering A-Rod is the best player in baseball, I can understand why the thought would enter people's minds. Is there really anyone who shouldn't be moved to have A-Rod in the lineup?

Still, the media reported it, that doesn't make it fact. Especially when many of them (Heyman for example) are Yankee lapdogs.

[J. Weitzel]

The most compelling stuff coming out of the MVP voting is what the Mets collapse did to change perceptions of David Wright, who would have been my MVP choice up until about three weeks left in the season and should have finished no lower than third.

But ... that's what being part of the worst collapse in history will do, and I'm fine with that. Let them all go down with the ship. It seals the deal.

Interesting voting nonetheless. Someone thought Holliday's season was only good enough for a sixth place vote. Brandon Phillips got an eighth place vote. Carlos Marmol got a 10th place vote. Must have been from the local writers.

Would have liked to see Hagen or Donnellon step up to the plate and get Pat the Bat on the list somewhere if Phillips and Marmol can be there.

Final thought - Howard at five is too high - sorry to say.

[Andy]

I am amazed.
In so many ways Rollins is the most valuable player to any team in the league. I just didn't think the voters would recognize that. I truly had resigned myself to Holliday getting this award. (Now he hasn't touched the plate OR the trophy.)

I am grinning, pleased and proud of our fearless leader. One more way that the last couple years have been a great ride, which is not over yet.

[Lake Fred]

R-Roll winning the MVP is great news. I am so happy for him. He did have a historic season so wonderfully chronicled by Jason (as always) in the header. It's a great day to be a Phillies fan.

[Lake Fred]

I meant J-Roll winning the MVP is great news. I can't type worth beans when I'm excited. What's all this garbage about Wright doing on this blog? We don't need no stinking Mets on this blog!

[J. Weitzel]

Er ... Deitch. He had a vote.

[Mike H.]

Congratulations to J-Roll on his outstanding season.

This is going to kick up a lot more dust than Howard's win last year by the national media, especially ESPN. The stat heads in particular (like Dave Cohen on the Good Phight) make a strong argument that J-Roll is a solid sixth. You can make the argument that if Holliday really does touch home plate instead of phantoming it, he could win it.

[Crazy Jon]

Cholly's on 950 right now w/Jody Mac.
He's ecstatic, to say the least.

[Malcolm]

Again, the actual DEFINITION of "valuable" has to come into play here.

Most valuable of what? To what?
- Of the entire league?
- To his team?
- In his situation?

Jason, you brought up a crucial point - that Holliday is a corner outfielder (he is also in Coors Field). Rollins, though in the Vault, is a shortstop.

Meanwhile, Rollins played every game, played exceptional defense and was, unquestionably, the team leader. David Wright wasn't team leader of the Mets. Holliday wasn't team leader of the Rox.

That said, if the Mets didn't slide so much, Wright would've been MVP. Moreover, Wright was MVP according to my SSRs (which I presented in detail back in August), but at the end of the year, the SSRs looked like this:

1. Holliday
2. Rollins
3. Wright
4. Fielder
5. Howard

Rollins is most VALUABLE. His value was worth MORE in 2007 than Holliday's. He was more valuable to his team, whereas Holliday may have been more valuable statistically. But throw in all the intangibles and realize Rollins had just as a complete year as Holliday, it's hard to argue against it.

http://pheeling.wordpress.com/2007/11/18/nl-mvp-holliday-or-rollins/

There's my post breaking down the contenders. It elaborates the point more.

[Tartan69]

Anybody remember what Milt said about J-Roll before training camp this year? He called it.

[MG]

Tartan - Great point.

The thing I wonder though is if JRoll is going to want his contract to be revisited or lengthened (say significant bump up on the 2011 year) to reflect his MVP year.

[mike nutter]

the argument that rollins should be 6th is crazy. lets look at who would be above him.
1. holliday-sure great season and his team one, but he had crazy home/away splits and played zero defense. also god won those games for teh rockies no holliday.
2. prince fielder-same issues with holliday on defense and not as consistent. also his team didn't win or really stay in the race. they started fast and fell off hard so it isn't the same as hoawrd last year. howard kept the phils in it. no one kept the brewers in it.
3.wright-good season, but when your team can't hold off your main mvp rival you can't win the mvp over him.
4. utley-missed a month. good year, but you gotta stay healthy. tough break.
5. The rest of the bunch. peavey-a pitcher sorry. jones good year, but not a serious contender. ramirez great player for a horrible team.
that leaves rollins.

late news breaking. this just in... phills have signed chris snelling. cheap. potential. good pick up IF YOU ARE THE GM OF THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES!!! this is the philadelphia phillies. the 5th largest city in the US. the largest undivided market in baseball. a team that draws 42,000 on thursday afternoons!

[slappy]

MG et al:

Here's a Daily News article from Oct. 2 about Jimmy's new offseason training regimen:

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/10172676.html

He mentions the new gym in his house and better discipline:

This season, Rollins managed to maintain a playing weight of 170 pounds, down from his prior averages of 175 to 180. Rollins said he used to believe more weight made you stronger. That might be true in some cases, but not in the areas he wanted to be.

"In the past, I was stronger overall, but when it came to baseball, I was slow running, my body was slow and my quick muscles couldn't turn on balls like they could earlier in the season," Rollins recalled.

"Now it's late in the season and I'm down to 170, 169, and all of a sudden, that whip comes back, and that's where I need to be strong at. Right there in the core, which sometimes is an area that gets overlooked, but is probably one of the most important parts on your body, as far as a good hitter goes."

[mike nutter]

also leadership and the mvp. it is usually difficult to argue this point, but not this year. we have to remember that the mets were a mess. they had racial strife in the clubhouse, they were turning on their manger, they were fighting with umpire and opponents everyday down the stretch. no one ever took control. meanwhile the phillies were a determined team. they had every reason to turn on their pitchers, but they didn't. no one ever ripped a teammate. was it all wright and rollins? hard to say. but it did happen and that needs to be taken into account.

[Shane]

Holliday did have impressive stats, but remember he did get that extra game. Without that, he wouldn't have the RBI crown.

Also, J-Roll actually touches the plate when he slides into home.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Snelling is a former............Mariner

[mike nutter]

remember a few years ago when it was all former indians. now its former Ms. crazy yo.

[CubeHostage]

is Snelling a righty or a lefty at the plate?

[ae]

lefty.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Lefty

[Bedrosian's Beard]

complaints staring in 3.2.1....

[rob]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents.. YOU DA MAN J-ROLL..!!!!!! Thanks for all the excitement and effort. A true down n dirty Philly player

[longwood]

1) Anyone who says the one game playoff with the Padres showed who should be MVP is right. Holiday only had a chance to come through in the 9th because he misplayed a ball in the 8th which led to the tying and go ahead runs. And he still has not touched the plate.

2) If your team suffers the worst collapse in regular season history, you are not the MVP. MVP's do not let their team collapse, they stomp on the throat of teams that collapse as well as their pathetic whiner fans.

[bay_area_phan]

Wright did have a great statistical year - probably even better than Rollins. Clearly he would have been a front-runner if it weren't for the Mets collapse.

The steroid speculation about Rollins is nothing new. I'm not naive about the prevalence of steroids in the major leagues but I really doubt that this is the explanation for Rollins' surge in power numbers. Rollins may be small of stature but he had good power from Day 1, always finishing with high totals in extra base hits. His increased homerun totals in the last 2 years are in part a natural progression that comes with age (See, for example, Joe Morgan, a player similar in build to Rollins), & in part, a product of CB Park. If you are a fly-ball hitter with some pop, as Rollins is, CB Park will reward you. In the last 2 years, he has 33 homers at home, 22 on the road.

I doubt very seriously there are any steroids involved. His physical characteristics do not at all resemble the prototypical steroid user.

[Bill]

t feels like it did from 1976 to 1983 when I was a kid and was so proud to be a Phillies fan! Between Ryan Howard in 2006 and J Roll this year winning the MVP and winning the NL East, it is a great time to be a Phillies fan. More championships and a world series win is on the way! Thank you Phillies for bringing the pride back to Philadelphia. It is so great to see this town love its favorite team again!

http://philliesphorum.mlblogs.com

[CubeHostage]

before everyone jumps all over this chris snelling deal i just wanted to put my thoughts to paper, er, keyboard.

there's been a lot of talk of late about the MVP award and the team success that DOES NOT follow it. you'd have to go back to 1984 in the AL and i think 1991 in the NL to find an MVP awardee whose team won the world series. the reasoning is that, while one player can certainly carry a team like Rollins did this year, the game of baseball absolutely cannot be won by a single player. it is truly a team sport. my point is that it's clear the Phils have the MVP caliber franchise cornerstones in place. what they need are a few more pieces and especially depth. a roster full of MVPs won't always win, just ask a Yanks fan. a team needs depth and that's what chris snelling is. depth. he's clearly not THE offseason move and i hope we consider that before we all dissect this transaction.

[CubeHostage]

and of course, congratulations to Jimmy! he truly deserved this award. he was the heart and soul of this team and, from a fan's perspective, it's certainly rewarding and gratifying to see him take home the hardware today.

congrats Jimmy!

[CubeHostage]

this just in... the Mets trade for Johnny Estrada from the Milwaukee Brewers for (drumroll please) Guillermo Mota.

as a Phils fan, i hate this trade. what the hell is Bob Melvin thinking? Mota is terrible without the steroids! i was so looking forward to facing him again next year. and estrada is not half bad. certainly better than torrealba... thoughts?

[clout]

cube: Estrada is the slowest man in baseball and a DP machine. Offensively, he never ever walks but doesn't strike out either, so that makes him similar to Lo Duca. He's better than the Duke on defense and can hit the occasional HR (altho so can LoDuca). He's 4 years younger, but he's also a free agent after next season. I don't see this as a big upgrade.