NEW YORK YANKEES – It came out today that the Houston Astros are a bunch of cheaters. They have all the talent in the world but still had to have a bigger advantage – using a camera to steal signs and relay them to their hitters.
This controversy made me think about the whole 2017 season. Besides the New York Yankees losing every game at Minute Maid Park (wonder why), Jose Altuve also won the American League MVP that season over Aaron Judge.
Would Altuve still be crowned the MVP if he played the game right and didn’t cheat? I don’t think so.
Let’s take a look at the numbers between Judge and Altuve that season.
Judge: .284/.422/.627 with 52 home runs and 114 runs batted in.
Altuve: .346/.410/.547 with 24 home runs and 81 runs batted in.
Even though Altuve significantly beat Judge in terms of batting average, it’s much easier to hit when you know what pitch is coming at you. Even though squaring up a 95MPH fastball isn’t easy in its self, it’s sure a lot easier than guessing at a breaking ball along with the high-heat.
Judge played that season the way it was supposed to. Also, keep in mind, it was his rookie year playing in New York City as a young player. That’s hard, to begin with. He beat Altuve in every other major offensive category that season.
Aaron Judge is the rightful 2017 American League MVP and AL Rookie of the Year. It’s a shame there’s nothing that can be done about it, but Judge sure had something to say about the news:
Wait… what….? https://t.co/z4i9MHTAVr
— Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44) November 12, 2019
Looking back, everything the Houston Astros accomplished that season is a sham. Had they not had the advantage of stealing signs, would they have won the World Series? I mean, they have the talent to do so, but a team with that much talent and then a major advantage literally sets them up for massive success.