From a statistical point of view, Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees was clearly the best hitter in the major league baseball in 2011. Granderson was the most productive hitter per at-bat in the major leagues. Because of the long standing media bias against New York Yankees players though, I don’t believe Curtis Granderson will the win the MVP Award in the American League.
I’m a big time New York Yankees fan, and have been since I was a kid in the 1970s. I watch the Yankees play almost everyday during the season, and if any hitter deserves the award though, it’s clearly Curtis Granderson. Check out his stats for 2011.
Curtis Granderson’s Run Average in 2011 was Best in Baseball in Four Years
Simply put, Curtis Granderson scored runs in 2011 like Babe Ruth used to . Granderson scored 136 runs in 2011 to lead the major leagues by 15 runs over second place finisher Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers.
Granderson scored those 136 runs in 583 at-bats. His run average this season was .233. That’s the highest run average in baseball since Alex Rodriguez, also of the New York Yankees, had a run average of .245 in 2007.
Curtis Granderson Led the American League in RBI’s, and was Third in Baseball
Curtis Granderson drove in 119 runs in 2011, to lead the American League in RBI’s. He was third in all of baseball, behind only Matt Kemp, who had 126 RBI’s, and Prince Fielder, who had 120.
Curtis Granderson Hit the Second Most Home Runs in the Major Leagues in 2011
Curtis Granderson hit 41 home runs in 2011. That was the second most home runs in the major leagues, trailing only Jose Bautista’s 43. In terms of home runs per at-bat , Granderson’s 7.03% trailed only Buatista’s 8.38% and Mika Napoli’s 8.13%.
Curtis Granderson was the Most Productive Player Per At-Bat in the Major Leagues in 2011
No other player in the American League was as productive per at-bat in the 2011 season as Curtis Granderson was. He led all of baseball in runs scored by a wide margin, was third in RBI’s, and was second in all of baseball in home runs. No player in the American League was even close to Curtis Granderson in 2011.
Granderson led the American League in runs and RBI’s, and was second to Jose Bautista in home runs. Buatista, whose home run totals the last two seasons look might fishy to me, only had 105 runs scored, and only 103 RBI’s. So Granderson scored 32 more runs, and had 16 more RBI’s than Buatista did in 2011.
Matt Kemp Only Player Close to Granderson in 2011
Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League is really the only player in baseball who had a season close to Curtis Granderson. Kemp led all of baseball with 126 RBI’s, and led the National League in runs scored with 115, and home runs with 39.
Curtis Granderson Should be American League MVP if a Hitter is Chosen as MVP
Justin Verlander had a great year for the Detroit Tigers as a pitcher. The writers might give the MVP Award to Verlander in 2011. But if they decide to give the award to a hitter, it clearly should be Curtis Granderson, who was the best hitter in all of baseball in 2011.
For more see Top 10 Best Home Run Hitters per At-Bat in the Major Leagues in 2011
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