FanNation

snora said 07/01, 05:21 PM
Obviously, the popular pick here is Josh Hamilton, and deservedly so. He's driven in 80 runs already and has been one of the best stories of the year. I tip my virtual hat to Josh, but cannot give him the AL MVP award if the season ended today.

As little as 3 and a half months ago, no one even though Quentin was going to make the White Sox opening day roster. He had been tagged as injury prone, and possible a bust prospect. The Diamondbacks had given up on him to pursue other options.

3 months in to the season, and Quentin has proven himself to be the savior of the White Sox. As the rest of the teams veterans began the season on a massive cold streak, Quentin carried the Sox and their struggling veterans (Thome, Konerko, Cabrera, Swisher) and put the team on his 25 year old shoulders. Lets take a look at some of his stats:

19 HR - tied for 1st in AL
.928 POS - 5th in AL
61 RBI - 3rd in AL
54 runs - 5th in AL

Clearly, this stat line is very impressive. While Hamilton (with 80 RBI's) may or may not be the more talented player, I still believe Quentin has been a more valuable player than Josh. Q means more to the Sox success than any other player does to their team in the A

snora said 07/01, 06:37 PM
Three points:

1) JD is not the MVP of the White Sox. Yes, he has been on an absolute TEAR the past two weeks, but prior to that he was not the offensive center of the Sox. Even when he was the AL player of the week, the White Sox still got swept by the Cubs. MVP of the past two weeks, yes, but not MVP of the season.

2) Let's take a look at this stat line which I think one ups the difference in RBI's

Average with runners in scoring position:
Quentin - .368, 5 HRs
Hamilton - .323, 4 HRs

Quentins average with RISP is out of control. Even though Hamilton outdoes him in sheer RBI, Quentin has hit significantly better in RBI situations. The difference in RBI is because Hamilton has had men on bases much more than Carlos Quentin...which leads to my third point....

3) Carlos Quentin has, for the majority of the season, put the White Sox offense on his shoulders. They are in 1st place in the AL central and there is no way they would be without CQ. Hamilton, while also important, has been hitting in one of the majors best scoring offense with a lot of talent (Kinsler, Young, Bradley) around him that has not been as cold as the Sox vets. Ergo - Quentin = more valuable than Josh.

snora said 07/02, 02:58 PM
1) Again, you clearly have not been following the Sox the entire season. Dye has had a terrific two weeks but was struggling mightily before that, especially with his power. Any analyst, ANYONE familiar with the team knows that Carlos Quentin has been the linchpin of the organization and the central reason they have the record they do.

2) He also has launched 11 home runs with no one on, so he still finds a way to produce runs. The vast difference in their avg with RISP shows Quentin has OUTPERFORMED Hamilton in RBI situations despite Hamilton having more RBI.

3) Ian Kinsler hasn't been big to their offensive success? Are you kidding me? Kinsler is hitting .324 with 13 Hrs, 50 RBI, 23 SB, and 73 runs scored. I know 29 GMs who would love to have him hitting at the top of their order. Hamilton has been a strong component of a terrific offense.

4) Quentin ALSO leads his team in homers and RBI (yes, more than Jermaine Dye). He also has clearly been hitting in a less than stellar offense. So until you argue something new, I have to stand by my assertion that Carlos Quentin is the MVP of the AL. He is a fantastic player that has been absolutely essential to his 1st place team.