Joe Mauer Is the AL MVP: Don't Fool Yourself

Recently the typical chattering has arisen among mainstream journalists about who deserves the AL MVP award... ...as if there is any question who the most valuable player this year is.   It is Joe Mauer.   Some writers, like Ken Rosenthal, think there's some sort of debate about this.   Most confusing has been the focus on whether the performance of a player's team should somehow be factored into the MVP discussion.   The success of the Yankees this year has been impressive. For some reason there are writers out there who think this matters in the MVP race.   It does not. The MVP award is about the player, not the team.   Trying to bring the team into the discussion is just a way of saying, "Joe Mauer is clearly more valuable than any other player, but I want to vote for someone else."   Yes, there is room for debate as to what constitutes an MVP.    Do you adjust a player's value by his position, using VORP instead...