kaufman@uiucdcs.UUCP (09/22/84)
[Should the Cubs win the pennant, this line will be moved to Friday]
The AL promises to have the most wide open MVP race in some time, with
the Tigers alone supplying a half dozen viable candidates. Most of the votes
that go to Royals players will probably go to Dan Quisenberry. I find this
unfortunate.
Sure, Quiz is having a super season, and deserves the recognition. But
there is another player who is at least as valuable to Kansas City, yet he
is annually (practically) ignored in the MVP voting in favor of his teammates
with the sparkling stats - George Brett and Quisenberry. The man to whom I
refer is of course Willie Wilson.
Wilson missed the first 6 weeks of the season with his drug-related
suspension. Meanwhile, the Royals got off to something like a 10-23 start
and were challenging Texas for the worst record in baseball. Granted,
Quisenberry had some 12 saves in their first 14 wins, but as their record
showed, he couldn't carry the team if they couldn't carry a lead into the
late innings.
Despite his early season absence, Wilson leads the Royals in hits, and
was batting a cool .308 as of September 16, and was making a run at the top
5 in AL stolen bases. But more than his statistics, he is a spark plug for
the team. How often has he gotten on in the 1st inning and, without ever
attempting to steal second, just rattled the opponents enough to open the
door to a big inning, and an eventual Royals win (and Quisenberry save)?
Hopefully, the Baseball Writers of America will take note this year.
Should the Royals hold on to win their division this year, maybe they
should vote a playoff share to the arbitrator who reduced Wilson's suspension
from a year to 6 weeks.
Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman)rs@hou3c.UUCP (rs) (09/26/84)
Any team that is struggling to play .500 ball (like KC, Minn, and Cal.) shouldn't worry about who gets votes for MVP one their team. That should just thank their hapless division for letting them go to the playoffs.