A Historical MVP Debate

No, this is not another Jimmy Rollins vs. Matt Holliday MVP debate. Been there, and done that. And, in case anyone doesn't know, I'm firmly in J-Roll's corner. No disrespect to the season Holliday had, especially considering the systematic dismantling of Rollins' Phillies that he led, but Rollins literally did it all for the Phillies this season; and he did it every day, and he did it all very good. J-Roll captured the hearts of fans all over the Philadelphia area with his bat, glove, and personality. But there was another Phillie who did the same thing. That Phillie was Lenny Dykstra, and it is no coincidence that the last time the Phillies made the playoffs in 1993, Dykstra had a career year. Both were spectacular all year, but if I had to pick one for MVP between the two, I'd have to go with the Dude, Lenny Dykstra.

Jimmy Rollins led a Phillies offense that scored more runs than any other team in the league. They even scored more runs than all but one team in the DH rich American League. He led off most of the year, set the table, scored runs, and more than occasionally knocked in runs. The numbers speak for themselves:

Runs: 139
Hits: 212
2B: 38
3B: 20
HR: 30
RBI: 94
SB: 41
BB: 49
SO: 85
BA: .296
OBP: .344
SLG: .531

Lenny Dykstra was always a very good leadoff man, but in 1993 he put his whole game together, finishing second behind Barry Bonds in MVP voting. He played center field with reckless abandon, earning the nickname Nails, in addition to the Dude, because he was tough as nails. Again, the numbers speak for themselves:


Runs: 143
Hits: 194
2B: 44
3B: 6
HR: 19
RBI: 66
SB: 37
BB: 129
SO: 64
BA: .305
OBP: .420
SLG: .482

So those are the numbers. What Rollins lacked in on-base percentage and batting average, he made up for in power. What Dykstra lacked in power, he made up for by getting on base a lot more than Rollins. So which is more valuable to a team; getting on base or knocking in runs? That debate will go on forever, but this one has to end.

I think it's fair to say that this 2007 rendition of the Phillies team has more talent than that 1993 team. Aside from Dykstra, the only other offensive weapons on that team were Darren Daulton and John Kruk, and to a lesser extent, Dave Hollins. But this current team has Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand, and to a lesser extent, Shane Victorino. If you take Rollins away from this team, they fall well short of where they finished this season. But, if you take Dykstra off of that 1993 team, not only are they not as good, but that offense would have been embarrassing inept.

It really is splitting hairs trying to put one of these guys above the other. To be honest, I don't even know why I tried. I guess the similarities between these two guys who played 14 years apart, are just too intriguing to ignore. Two playoff teams with one common theme: a leadoff man with an all-around game to match anyone in the league, and a persona that captured the admiration of an entire city. Guys like that are near impossible to find, and for that reason, they both are MVPs.