Sports

Draft Resign Cut – the last three MLB MVP’s

By March 6, 2013June 18th, 2018No Comments
posey-votto-cabrera

posey-votto-cabreraIn this edition of Draft Resign Cut I will take a look at three baseball superstars and where they should fall within the spectrum. Needless to say, this was a very difficult choice considering all of these players have won an MLB MVP award within the last three seasons. Today, we will make the choice between Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, and Buster Posey.

Just to refresh your memory on the format of this. You have to draft one guy (meaning you get him for the short term), resign one guy (meaning you’ll have him for the long term), and cut one guy (meaning that he doesn’t make your squad).

CUT

This was an extremely difficult decision considering the players involved, but at the end of the day, one man has to be cut. That player would be Miguel Cabrera. Now, I am sure that you might be saying this is absurd since Cabrera just won the first Triple Crown in 45 years, but when taking all of the facts into consideration, he is the odd man out. Don’t get me wrong, Cabrera is a phenomenal baseball player. His OBPS numbers have led the league two of the past three seasons, he rarely misses a game, and he has won the AL batting title two years in a row. On top of that, he has hit at least 30 HRs and drove in 100 RBI in every season except his rookie campaign. But for arguments’ sake, he has the most going against him.

First, Cabrera, despite his offensive prowess, is an adventure defensively. He led all first basemen in errors in 2010 and 2011 while having the 4th highest total for 3rd basemen last season. Cabrera is also the oldest of all of the candidates. He will be 30 years old this season with 11 seasons under his belt. It is not out of the realm of possibility to think his career has peaked and he will start the downside of his career.

RESIGN

With Cabrera gone, that leaves either Votto or Posey left to re-sign. After weighing the remaining factors between the two players, I would choose to re-sign Joey Votto. I contend that Votto is the best hitter in all of baseball. If a knee injury didn’t derail his season in 2012, he might have very well won his 2nd MVP in three seasons. Votto has led the majors in OBP each of the previous three seasons and led the NL in walks the past two seasons. That could be because he has Jay Bruce hitting behind him, but even when he doesn’t walk he is likely going to put his team in a position to score. He is a doubles machine who hits in a lineup without another serious offensive threat. With a legitimate leadoff man in the Reds lineup this season, he could certainly have a historic year.

Unlike Cabrera, Votto plays great defense at 1B. He won a Gold Glove award in 2011 and a healthy 2013 season could likely lead to another one. Another benefit of resigning Votto is the fact that he plays in one of the best hitters ballparks in all of baseball. That will definitely help his power numbers as he ages.

DRAFT

That leaves Buster Posey left as my player to draft. Posey may not have the offensive numbers put up by Cabrera or Votto, but at only 25 years of age, he has the most upside. In his 2012 MVP campaign, Posey led the NL in batting with a .336 average and an OBP of over .400. Those numbers are impressive by themselves, but even more so when you consider that he played 114 games behind the plate which can be grueling in the hot summer months. His ability to play 1B at times will also help him to improve his numbers at the plate as he ages. His HR numbers (24) and RBI numbers (103) are also astonishing considering the fact that his lineup is offensively challenged and he plays in, perhaps, the worst hitter’s park in all of baseball.

One of the few downsides that Posey has is the fact his defense likely needs to improve, slightly. Posey did have the third most errors at the C position last season and allowed the most stolen bases. Overall, at his age, as long as he stays healthy, he certainly has the potential to win multiple MVP awards and be considered as one of the best catchers of this generation.

I want to hear from you. Who would you Draft Resign and Cut of the three? Holla at us in the comments. 

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Aaron Senich

Aaron Senich

A long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans, who will be switching allegiances to the Seattle Seahawks for the 2014 season through marriage. Bloody mary, full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. -Archer