I'm sick of hearing these guys being talked about as MVP candidates. Sure, they both had very good seasons, but I will list 2 players who make better choices.
Joe Mauer
.328 BA (led AL)
.413 OBP (essentially led AL, Milton Bradley's was higher but with many fewer PA)
139 games caught, 4 DH
Threw out 36% of attempted basestealers
4.88 Win Probability Added (led AL)
A catcher who wins a batting title, leads the AL in OBP, throws out 36% of attempted basestealers, and was first in the AL in WPA? I think you have to give it to Mauer. If you take Mauer off the Twins, they score about 43 fewer runs (this is, of course, assuming they have an AVERAGE catcher replace him), which means the Twins would definitely not get to the one game playoff without him. Youkilis had about the same number of BRAA but he plays first base, a much easier and offensive position and his WPA is about 2.5 lower. This is without even considering the luck with which Youkilis hit this year. Youkilis was 12th in the AL with 29 HR, but was 96th in standard distance per home run. To hit that many HR while hitting the ball that weakly, that's some serious good fortune right there.
Grady Sizemore
.876 OPS (first among AL centerfielders, Hamilton's was higher but he only played 111 games in center)
38-5 in steal attempts
.909 ZR (4th in AL, but just .008 away from 2nd with 360 more innings played)
3.48 WPA
He probably shouldn't get it, but the numbers he put up this year are pretty impressive. He was worth about 45 BRAA (higher than both Youkilis and Pedroia), add in his plus defense at a tough defensive position, his high WPA, and you got yourself a serious honorable mention.
Even though I hate both Pedroia, and Youkilis, I will give them credit. They both had excellent seasons. I don't think that either of them are truly this good, but whether they are or not shouldn't matter for this one season. They still are not the most deserving candidates.
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