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The 2012 MVP Race: A Re-Examination

The 2012 MVP Race was one that saw two very different styles of player emerge as champion. One had something of a quietly outstanding career. Indeed, if one were to gauge the best catchers of the last 15 to 20 years, Buster Posey would be on the list. However, he is not very often spoken of when compared with other recent examples of backstop excellence. His was a career that spoke for itself, planting him firmly among the greatest catchers of all time. On the flip side, the AL bestowed the award on one of the greatest of all-time, regardless of position. Miguel Cabrera, a future Hall of Famer, had seemingly accomplished everything but an MVP win by the time 2012 rolled around. He got that monkey off his back then, and has only excelled from there.

While both of these men were certainly deserving candidates, we have to stop and ask ourselves if they deserved the awards themselves. For, after all, there were others. Herein, as we have done for 2010 and ’11, we will re-examine the races by looking at the top three leaders in WAR in each league. (That being said, we will make one exception, as will be explained below). After thoroughly looking at each player’s season, we will see if the actual MVP was truly worthy, or if it should have gone to someone more so. Without further ado, let’s dive back into the 2012 MVP race.

American League

Well…this is a bit difficult for this writer. As it stands, Cabrera, the actual 2012 AL MVP, did not rank in the top three in Baseball Reference WAR for the season. So, this one time, we will make an exception to the WAR rule. Cabrera’s season will be put under the microscope, for the simple reason that it was an historic campaign. Cabrera won baseball’s first triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski did it for the 1967 Boston Red Sox. This is a season worth looking at, with or without the proper WAR numbers. So, let’s jump in and see where we stand.

Justin Verlander

We‘ll begin with a man who was tops on the mound in the AL. Not only that, but he was the defending MVP. Justin Verlander laid down yet another marvelous season for the Detroit Tigers. He went 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA, leading the league with six complete games. His workhorse mentality helped him pace the charts in innings pitched as well (238 1/3). Finally, he struck out a circuit best 239 batters. It was a fight between he and Felix Hernandez all season for the best hurler in the AL and, according to Fangraphs, Verlander just barely squeaked it out. While this didn’t bring him a real life MVP, it could bring him one in our alternate reality.

Mike Trout

There are rookie campaigns, and then there’s Mike Trout’s rookie campaign. For 139 games, the 20-year-old Los Angeles Angels outfielder terrorized opposing pitching. He put up a 30/40 campaign while slashing .326/.399/.564 with a league best 168 OPS+. His WAR of 10.5 kicked off a stretch where he led the league for five consecutive years. Truthfully, there’s not much Trout didn’t do in his rookie year, and he was a definite candidate in the 2012 MVP Race. A lot of people tout Mike Trout as being the greatest baseball player of all time. He certainly fueled those fires right off the bat with one of the best rookie years ever.

Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown. That’s it. That’s the blurb…or, at least, it should be. Players everywhere dream of earning this particular honor. Leading everyone in average, homers, and RBI in one season certainly isn’t a given. Considering, as mentioned above, that it had not been done in 45 years, it almost adds an otherworldly aspect to the title. But Miguel Cabrera did indeed accomplish this feat in 2012. He hit .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBI. All of these numbers were compounded by a league best .606 slugging average and a staggering .999 OPS. (Shockingly enough, that number was down from his previous two seasons). There aren’t many players in history better than Cabrera, and 2012 was his masterwork.

The MVP should have been…

This shouldn’t even need to be asked. Cabrera was, hands down, the best the AL had to offer in 2012. He earned every bit of his MVP Award and more besides. Surprisingly, this was his first time garnering this recognition. It was, in this writer’s opinion, long overdue and, fittingly enough, came at the end of one of the best seasons of all time. While some might call it obvious, one cannot ignore the historical significance of Cabrera’s campaign. Truly, the 2012 MVP Race in the AL was Cabrera’s to lose, and his generational season ensured that he wouldn’t.

National League

In the National League, the 2012 MVP Race gets a little bit tighter. Indeed, the top three in WAR were only separated by 6/10ths of a point. Regardless, we are here to dig into the meat of each of their seasons. First off, we have one of the most popular New York Mets of all time in David Wright. Next, in a bit of similarity, we have one of the most popular St. Louis Cardinals of all time, Yadier Molina. Finally, we have the actual MVP from this season, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. So, in a strange bit of unconventionality, this MVP actually did lead the league in WAR. But, let’s jump in and see if WAR alone was enough to push him over the top.

David Wright

David Wright could have been one of the greatest players of all time, had injury not played such a crucial role late in his career. However, that didn’t stop him from having a 2012 worth talking about. He slashed .306/.391/.492 with an .883 OPS. His power returned after a down 2011, as he hit 21 homers to go with 41 doubles. While he didn’t lead the league in any one category, he was among the offensive best in 2012. This was coupled with a dWAR of 2.1, proving that the 29-year-old had a ton of fire as he entered his prime.

Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina had always paired excellent defense with consistent contact and 2012 was no different. The future Hall of Famer slashed .315/.373/.501 with an .874 OPS, posting 159 hits and 76 RBI in the process. His defense was second to none, as he tied his career high with a 2.9 dWAR and added  a sparkling .997 fielding percentage. The difference between this and previous seasons was that Molina unlocked a previously unseen power stroke. He had 22 homers and 28 doubles. More importantly, though, Molina continued to prove to be one of the most difficult strikeouts in the game. He only whiffed 55 times in 505 at-bats. That’s a strikeout percentage of 9.8%, which, even in 2012, was almost unheard of. Combining power, an excellent plate approach, and a surplus of defensive prowess, Molina is definitely a contender in the 2012 MVP race.

Buster Posey

Buster Posey only played in 45 games in 2011. That makes his return to form in 2012 even more impressive. He won the NL batting crown with a .336 average and also led the league with a 171 OPS+. Though his strikeout percentage was higher than Molina’s, he bested the Cardinal backstop in almost every other offensive category. His 164 wRC+, .406 wOBA, and .213 isolated power metric were much better than all other NL catchers. Finally, he showed his pop and production by clubbing 24 homers, 39 doubles, and driving in 103 runs. True, it’s not the season that will jump off the stat sheet the most. However, it’s more than fitting for inclusion on this list.

The MVP should have been…

Honestly, while putting this together, this writer almost went with Molina over Posey. But the truth is, Posey did everything Molina did that season, only at a much higher level. That’s why he got his MVP and that’s why he’s keeping it here. We aren’t often privy to such seasons from catchers. In 2012, the position ruled the National League, and Posey outshone all the others. His MVP Award was well earned and well deserved. Therefore, for the first time in this column’s history, we will have no new MVPs. Both Cabrera and Posey were the right choices.

 

Photo Credit- Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Players Mentioned- Buster Posey, Miguel Cabrera, Carl Yastrzemski, Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Mike Trout, David Wright, Yadier Molina

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