Boston Red Sox: An in-depth look into the MVP selection process

In Part One of a two-part series, this article provides an in-depth look at the MVP selection process and attempts to discern how, and if, the voters are instructed to quantify “value.”

Upon commencing the composition of this article, the intention was to discredit the results of the AL MVP vote. After all, how much “value” could a player on a 74-win Angels’ team possibly contribute? Mookie Betts’ team, on the other hand, the Boston Red Sox, reached the postseason. As far back as I can recall, wasn’t that an understood prerequisite for the MVP winner, with rare exception?

I decided to conduct a bit of research on the MVP Award. I desired answers to many questions: What is the exact definition of an MVP? What criteria are the voters instructed to use in evaluating the legitimacy of a player’s candidacy? How are the voters selected and how does the voting process work?

The answers to my queries were found at the BBWAA website.

Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote for the four major annual awards in each league: Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year.

For each city that is home to a Major League team, two writers are selected as voters. Writers from NL cities vote for NL awards, and writers from AL cities vote for AL awards; this results in 30 voters for each award.

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For each MVP ballot, there are ten spots. The voters list their first choice for the award in the first spot, their second choice in the second spot, and so on, for the ten spots on the ballot. As one might imagine, the 10 spots are not equally weighted. The player listed in the first spot, a first-place vote, receives 14 points. A second place vote is worth nine points, a third-place vote is worth eight points, and the pattern continues down to the tenth-place vote, which is worth one point.

Upon completion of the voting process, the total number of points is tallied up and the player receiving the most points is deemed the winner.

As to the incredibly amorphous and nebulous criteria for what constitutes the “MVP,” the following instructions are stated verbatim on each ballot:

“Dear Voter:

There is no clear-cut definition of what Most Valuable means. It is up to the individual voter to decide who was the Most Valuable Player in each league to his team. The MVP need not come from a division winner or other playoff qualifier.

The rules of the voting remain the same as they were written on the first ballot in 1931:

Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense and defense.
Number of games played.
General character, disposition, loyalty and effort.
Former winners are eligible.
Members of the committee may vote for more than one member of a team.

You are also urged to give serious consideration to all your selections, from 1 to 10. A 10th-place vote can influence the outcome of an election. You must fill in all 10 places on your ballot. Only regular-season performances are to be taken into consideration.

Keep in mind that all players are eligible for MVP, including pitchers and designated hitters.”

As one can see, even the ballot’s instructions are open to a wide range of interpretations. Certain historically applied criteria by voters, e.g., player’s team should be postseason-eligible, and the ineligibility of the Designated Hitter, are nowhere to be found within the official instructions.