Let us speak of leadoff men.
It’s a valid topic hereabouts because the Red Sox currently have one of those rare types - a leadoff man who has injected himself into the MVP race.
The Most Valuable Player Award, as we know it, has been in existence since 1931 (there were previous awards, but we are speaking of the Baseball Writers’ version), and in all those years there have only been seven winners who were primarily leadoff men during that particular season.
American League: Phil Rizzuto (1950), Zoilo Versalles (1965), Rickey Henderson (1990), and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).
National League: Maury Wills (1962), Pete Rose (1973), and Jimmy Rollins (2007).
So it’s rather evident a leadoff man must put together a truly special season to attract sufficient attention from the voters, who have always been most attracted by homer/RBI guys, and even pitchers, rather than classic table setters.
Three of the seven leadoff MVPs muscled up a bit, and that surely enhanced their candidacies. Versalles, a generally decent Twins shortstop of the 1960s, had that head-scratching 1965 season in which he had 76 extra-base hits, leading the league in doubles (45) and triples (12), while also knocking out 19 homers. He led the league in total bases (308). He also led the league in errors (39) and strikeouts (122), all of which makes him one of the most fascinating MVP choices ever.
Henderson was just plain sick in 1990. He led the league in runs (119) despite missing 26 games. He led the league in on-base percentage (.439). He also slugged a career high .577, so it’s not surprising his OPS (on-base plus slugging) led the league at 1.016. He also stole a league-leading 65 bases. The A’s won the AL pennant, which helped. He has many amazing seasons, but this one set his standard.
Rollins led the NL in runs (139) and triples (20) when he won his 2007 award. His 88 extra-base hits (38 doubles and 30 homers) were pretty outrageous for both a shortstop and a leadoff man. His OPS was a healthy .875. He drove in 94 runs and stole 41 bases. Combined with his defense, it was a very impressive résumé on a division-winning team.
Keep in mind that it is never just a numbers game. There are intangibles to consider, and the question of just who’s more “valuable’’ than the next guy in any given year is totally subjective. People are still asking what led NL voters to give the 1944 MVP to St. Louis shortstop Marty Marion (by a 190-189 margin over Chicago slugger Bill Nicholson). Marion, a slick fielder, hit .267 with no dazzling peripheral stats. Alas, we will never know. But there must have been some reason.
