What Most Valuable is All About

The Baseball Writers' Association of America did great work that was announced in the last two days: they voted the two leagues' Most Valuable Player Awards to Albert Pujols (NL) and Dustin Pedroia (AL).
Albert Pujols is the guy that kids look up to from coast to coast. He's a great player and a better person. No player in the history of Major League Baseball-not Ted Williams, not Joe DiMaggio, not Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx or Al Simmons-has ever, ever, ever started his career with the performance that Albert has put on the board in his first eight seasons. He is 28 as the 2008 season ended. He has 319 Home Runs, 977 RBIs and over 1,500 hits. And now, his second National League MVP award. The only thing that has prevented him from having four MVPs is Barry Bonds' drug dealer.
Pujols was also named this year's Roberto Clemente Man of the Year in Major League Baseball. That award is given to the player who most personifies the community and charitable spirit of the great Clemente, who gave his life doing relief work after a Nicaraguan earthquake in 1972. A native Dominican, Pujols was in tears when he was named the Clemente winner. Clemente is widely seen as the Jackie Robinson of the Latino community. If I were a betting man, I would wager that Albert holds the Clemente Award dearer than the MVP.
In eight seasons for the Cardinals, Pujols has never been lower than ninth in MVP voting. That is consistency. His placement describes his stardom: 9th in 2007; 4th in 2001; 3rd in 2004; 2nd in 2002, 2003 and 2006; and his wins in 2005 and this year. Yep, that's 5 first or seconds in eight seasons!
Dustin Pedroia isn't big enough. He's listed at 5'9" and that's generous. Try a much more realistic 5'6" and you're a whole lot closer. But much like his second sacker ancestor of 30 years back, Joe Morgan, Dusty doesn't know he's the smallest guy on the field. Or at least, he doesn't care. Pedroia is why baseball is still the greatest game, and always will be. A guy like Petey can still be the MVP in baseball. You don't have to be a beast like in the NFL, or stretched out to freakish proportions like in the NBA. A slightly less than averaged sized man can make it just fine in baseball.
He was Rookie of the Year in the American League last year. This year, he already won the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger. More importantly, he batted all up and down the Red Sox order this year, wherever Tito Francona needed or wanted him. Including the cleanup slot after Manny was traded and Mikey was injured. That's right: all 5'6" of Dustin Pedroia provided the protection for Big Papi in the Red Sox lineup. And while there, he hit like a cleanup hitter! That's because Pedroia has never, ever listened to any of those "experts" who have told him that he wasn't big enough or good enough to be a Major Leaguer. He knew better than they did!
And one of these days (which may come very shortly) he very likely could follow Jason Varitek as the Captain of the Boston Red Sox. Petey is made of the very same stuff as Tek. He is strong. He is a leader. He inspires his teammates. And he doesn't put up with any nonsense.
My congratulations, and gratitude, to the BBWAA for seeing past the power totals to recognize that value is measured by far more than how many homers are hit!
Albert Pujols and Dustin Pedroia constitute an awful lot of what is good and right about baseball, and both of them deeply deserve the recognition that they have been extended!