Baseball writers have been voting to determine league MVP award winners, under various imprints, for more than 100 years.
But only in the past 25 years have players amassed the bodies of work in the postseason to jostle with regular-season performance in the overall value conversation.
In between the Year of the Pitcher in 1968 and Miggy’s Triple Crown in 2012, the number of playoff teams increased from two to 10, while the maximum number of postseason games possible in a given year grew from seven to 43.
At the extremes, Omar Vizquel logged 86 postseason plate appearances in 1997, while Madison Bumgarner pitched 52.2 October innings in 2014. Those totals come on the heels of a six-month regular season and give modern players’ October résumés gravitas that only players for select clubs—the Yankees, Cardinals and Dodgers—could match in the days before divisional play.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Baseball America.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE SERVICE TIME CONUNDRUM
MLB’s byzantine service time rules cloud rookie status and now PPI eligibility
LUIS TIANT WAS MLB'S MOST SUCCESSFUL CUBAN PITCHER
On a scouting trip to Cuba in 1957, Bobby Avila discovered 16-year-old righthander Luis Tiant on the island's Juvenile League all-star team.
ORGANIZATION REPORT
Outfielder Heston Kjerstad's career has been unique, to say the least.
TOP 10 NL EAST
From the moment Thomas White stepped on a high school mound, he was viewed as the top lefthander available in the 2023 draft.
PREPARATION PAYS OFF
lowa politician J.D. Scholten makes a surprising return to pro ball at age 44
MAKING THE GRADE
Assessing the future value of graduated National League prospects
TOP 10 NL WEST
Even in high school, Bryce Eldridge could hit the ball a mile. The 6-foot-7 righthander could also touch 96 mph off the mound.
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
