Why A-Rod is the Obvious AL MVP

Alex Rodriguez was the blatant and obvious MVP choice this year. And for once, his name hurt him. Had he been an average Joe who happened to dominate offensively like he did in 2008, the MVP would have been nearly unanimous. If he sported a shaved head, a caveman goatee, a knack for fighting with Hall of Fame outfielders, and always sprinting out an infield fly rule...you would be in awe of the way he plays the game. Or maybe if he was four foot seven, weighed 115 pounds, you would vote for him.

Sure, his team did not make the playoffs. However, his team was in the best division in baseball, and by a long shot. Had he played in the NL West, he could have single handily pushed the Rockies back into the postseason. Sure, A-Rod has won three MVP's already, he's filthy rich, and he's on the most hated team in baseball. However, that does not mean he was not the MVP. Let me throw some stats out and A-Rod's statistical rank compared to Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, two Bahston guys who finished ahead of A-Rod in the MVP voting. I will not list flawed statistics, but stats with proven formulas to measure a true MVP.
X = that player did not finish in the top ten

OPS +
Rodriguez - 2nd (9 pts)
Pedroia - X (0 pts)
Youkilis - 4th (7 pts)

Runs Created
Rodriguez - 7th (4 pts)
Pedroia - 4th (7 pts)
Youkilis - 6th (5 pts)

Adjusted Batting Runs
Rodriguez - 2nd (9 pts)
Pedroia - X (0 pts)
Youkilis - 4th (7 pts)

Batting Wins
Rodriguez - 2nd (9 pts)
Pedroia - X (0 pts)
Youkilis - 4th (7 pts)

Offensive Winning Percentage
Rodriguez - 2nd (9 pts)
Pedroia - X (0 pts)
Youkilis - 3rd (8 pts)

Value Over Replacement Player
Rodriguez - 1st (10 pts)
Pedroia - 3rd (8 pts)
Youkilis - 9th (2 pts)

Fielding Percentage at Position
Rodriguez - 2nd (9 pts)
Pedroia - 2nd (9 pts)
Youkilis - 7th (4 pts)

Zone Rating
Rodriguez - 5th (6 pts)
Pedroia - 2nd (9 pts)
Youkilis - 3rd (8 pts)


NOTE: Milton Bradley dominated nearly every stat above and finished first almost unanimously. However, due to him missing nearly 40 games, I dismissed his MVP credentials. But that is another argument in and of itself. Also, I would not consider pitchers for the MVP award as 30 starts or 70 innings does not warrant you being the most valuable player...sorry.

The Machiavellian Value of Player Formula
Adjusted OPS + Runs Created + Adjusted Batting Runs + Batting Wins + Offensive Win % + VORP + [(Fielding Percentage at Position + Zone Rating) / 2]

First place would be ten points, second nine points, and so on. Tenth place is one point and below tenth there is zero.

Rodriguez - 59
Pedroia - 25
Youkilis - 46

So, while A-Rod is the clear MVP, Youk should have at least won it over his own teammate who was nearly half as valuable.