Having Fun At Jim Bowden's Expense

Jim Bowden does a chat every week with ESPN, and it is a time when I get to decide whether I'm smarter than a former MLB GM. In some cases, I really think I am, and many others as well. These are actual questions to Bowden in his chat, with his actual answers. I comment on why he's very, very wrong.

Jim, if the vote were held today, would you be voting for Justin Verlander for AL MVP?

Jim Bowden

(12:17 PM)

I'm not a big fan of giving the MVP to a pitcher. Pitchers's get the Cy Young and Position players should get the MVP Award. Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera or A-Gone/Ellsbury...one of them should get it...while Verlander celebrates CY Young

This is dumb. Bowden wants to redefine an award that is already pretty clearly defined. Most Valuable Player means most valuable player, not most valuable hitter. Just because you disagree with how the award is defined doesn't mean you vote on something else. Pitchers should be considered, because, you know, they are baseball players. I don't think he has a vote, thankfully, because it would be a problem if people were voting on different criteria for the same award. And pitcher's should get consideration for the award, as some pitchers have already faced more hitters than a hitter will make plate appearances in a full season.

What is up with John Lackey lately? He looks like a viable post season roster guy. Can't say the same for A. J. Burnett though. Can we EVER have enough pitching and defense?

Jim Bowden

(12:20 PM)

All Lackey ever does is win....don't worry about the ERA....he'll figure out how to win the 6-5 game. He competes. I agree that Lackey has a much better chance of a post-season start than Burnett has with the Yankees

God damn it. Some guys might be more competitive than others, but the pitcher is finding a way to win the game 6-5 because he is a crappy pitcher with a great offense behind him, not because he wants it more. Question for you Jim. Why doesn't Felix Hernandez win? Is it because he doesn't want it? Or he doesn't know how? Or is because King Felix isn't a good enough hitting coach? I'll take the latter, thanks. You can have your 32 year old pitcher with a bad contract, declining ground ball rate, and declining K rate who gets wins because he's on a good team. I'll take pitcher wins for what they are worth, which is squadoosh.

Raphael (NJ)

Why is Bautista the clear MVP winner to some? Granderson has superior numbers across the board, save for batting average, and plays for a winning team.

Jim Bowden

(12:24 PM)

I would vote Granderson over Bautista right now because of the "team winning" ingredient

Jose Bautista:.312/.452/.640, 7.8 fWAR

Curtis Granderson: .278/.376/.595, 6.8 fWAR

First off, how dumb is this commenter asking the question? But look at the RBIs! Granderson has so many! Sheesh. Granderson makes an out almost 8% more times than Bautista. Bautista has a higher slugging percentage too. Jose Bautista can't help it that his teammates aren't nearly as good as Granderson's. As for Bowden, the team winning ingredient? What does that have to do with being the most valuable player? Apparently Bautista hasn't been good enough because he is supposed to carry 1000 lbs of deadweight and is only capable of carrying 800 lbs, while Granderson is expected to carry 500 lbs but is carrying 600 lbs. I hope that analogy made sense, and why should Bautista be punished for this. Isn't carrying 800 lbs more valuable than carrying 600?

Dan (Philly)

I know he doesnt have the power numbers to compete with the other MVP candidates but doesnt Victorino deserve a little love for MVP given that when all others have been injured he has been the most consistent player on what looks like a 110 win team? He is hitting .313, playing great D, has decent power numbers and has a very good slugging % for a guy with his frame.

Jim Bowden

(12:56 PM)

I think Ryan Howard is the Phillies MVP over Victorino

Baseball GMs and managers can be a dumb lot. Tony Reagins traded for 4 years and 80 million dollars of Vernon Wells' carcass, and wasn't tricked into doing so. I love making fun of Fredi Gonzalez. Tony LaRussa is the game's best at overmanaging. One GM even compared the players union to Al Qaeda. But this comment is just awesome. FanGraphs has Victorino at exactly 5 wins more valuable than in Howard this season, and Victorino has played 26 fewer games. Victorino is batting .309/.382/.539 while playing terrific defense at a premium position, while also adding value as a terrific baserunner. Howard is batting .251/.341/.481 while playing terrible defense at the easiest position on the diamond, in addition to being a bad baserunner. Bowden would argue that Howard has more power, which I would debunk by saying Victorino has the exact same ISO power as Howard. Bowden would then say he's driven in 99 runs, to which I would laugh in his face and walk away, after pointing out that Howard wouldn't have nearly as many RBIs if Victorino wasn't on base. RBIs are not a skill, they are completely circumstance. And Howard has 5 years and 125 million left on his contract. Jim, every resource at your disposal for you job as an analyst for ESPN would lend itself to you actually being informed and prepared for a question like this. Most get paid to do their job. You should approach your job that way too.

Ignorance like this is how you lose your job as GM for 2 different teams. Ignorance is also what allows you to compare the players union to Al-Qaeda. Yes, Jim Bowden was the one who said that. Bowden does a weekly chat with ESPN, which means I could be writing again next week.