• GenericFan November 2011

    Kemp was hugely screwed.


    Braun had a great year, and his numbers are similar to Kemp's, but Kemp was *clearly* a more valuable component to the Dodgers' offense than Braun was to his.


    Their AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS are all comparable, and while Kemp stole 40 bases, Braun stole 33 at a higher percentage.  Based on the percentages, it's a dead heat that doesn't justify either guy winning 20 first place votes.  Superficially, however, Kemp should win "The Voters Still Stuck In The Dark Ages" vote by leading pretty handily in the glamour stats: HR, RBI, RUN and SB.


    Looking behind the numbers is where it gets interesting, and clearly shows Kemp's dominance.  Braun's ballpark was much more friendly to offense than Kemp's, which is why Kemp led the league in OPS+ (adjusted for ballpark) at 171, and he also lead the league in Wins-Above-Replacement at 10.0.  Kemp plays a premium defensive position, while Braun does not, and he won a gold glove there (debating the validity of his gold glove can be another thread).


    Particularly telling, however, is the fact that the Dodgers league-average offense would have been downright atrocious without Kemp.  The Brewers offense was top-5 in the league, and likely still at least league average without Braun.  Kemp accounted for 33% of his team's HR output and he had a hand in scoring or knocking in 37% of his team's runs.  Braun and Fielder were both around 30%.


    Braun's only advanatage is the fact that his team won more games which has everything to do with the other 24 players on Milwaukee's roster, and zero to do with Braun's actual value as a hitter.


    Sad, really.

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