With a great April behind the Sox give me your top 3 in terms of most valuable player for the Sox for the month. Thankfully there are quite a few players to choose from. Sale, Quintana and Latos all had a great month. In the bullpen Robertson, Albers and Nate Jones have been lights out. Among position players Frazier has played good defense and leads the team in HR and RBI and has brought a winning attitude. Eaton has hit fairly well and played great defense in RF, Brett Lawrie finished the month strong at the plate and leads the team in OPS , SLG.,and tied for the lead in walks.

 

It's really difficult to pick just 3 so feel free to throw in an honorable mention or 2 .

 

My Choices:

 

1. Chris Sale

2. Jose Quintana

3. Brett Lawrie

 

Honorable mention Latos and Frazier Sorry bullpen you deserve a lot of recognition but no room.

My choice is Eaton. Hot start to the season set the tone, and you can't say enough good things about his defense so far.

I'd go with Eaton. His defense in RF has been nothing short of outstanding and it's played a major role in changing the entire complexion of the team. Sale & Quintana are both close seconds.

I couldn't find room for Eaton in my top 5. His OBP is good but 3rd on the team and as good as his defense has been its just not enough because of the great pitching the team has got and the better power stats of Lawrie and Frazier.

Sale.

 

One of the first things I said about this season is that if the Sox win all the Sale starts it puts them in a great position. Here they are May 2nd, they've won all their Sale starts, and they are in a great position. Sale is the slumpbuster and momentum builder all in one, as he goes so do the Sox.

Rick Renteria.

 

In all seriousness, I would go with Todd Frazier

Eaton

I couldn't find room for Eaton in my top 5. His OBP is good but 3rd on the team and as good as his defense has been its just not enough because of the great pitching the team has got and the better power stats of Lawrie and Frazier.

Eaton is a big reason why the pitching has looked great.

Eaton is a big reason why the pitching has looked great.

 

See I can't really go with that kind of argument. Sure the overall defense has been much better and Eaton has been the best part of it but it is just one position on the field. Not everything is hit to him.

 

I'm actually kind of shocked at the answers so far. I mean, yes, lots of names to choose from but I thought Sale would be an easy choice .

Eaton is a big reason why the pitching has looked great.

 

Seconded

I will say that it's good the Eaton's defense is being lauded . All off season I was saying to have great starting pitching without a good defense is a total waste and it had to be improved drastically .I remember Jason (Chisoxfn) saying this as well and excuse me if I can't remember anyone else saying how important defense is. Frazier's defense has been pretty good too and it's been so nice to have a guy like him in the middle of the lineup hitting home runs and driving in big runs.

Edited May 3, 20169 yr by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

Also Chicago White Sox (the poster) is like 10-2 this year on gamethreads. Definitely deserves a few votes, as does ss2k who was stealthily making all the winner threads during that last big win streak. His contributions do not go unnoticed.

Adam Eaton.

Adam Eaton.

Adam Eaton.

 

And then Albers for f***ing like a cat.

Eaton

It's hard to not recognize Eaton with his defense. Of course his moving to right field was due to the Jackson signing. It's so nice to have two center fielders prowling the outfield.

 

Frazier has to be up there, too. A good number of his hits and RBIs have come late in games. His ability to get the clutch hits is very reminiscent of Crede.

 

Lawrie has been pretty awesome as well. His bat has stayed hot all month, and his defense has been better than advertised.

 

Finally the pitching. Sale is as good as he's ever been. Quintana just keeps getting better. Latos has been a very pleasant surprise. And the bullpen has been amazing.

 

All that being said, I would give it to Frazier. The biggest reason being that there have been quite a few games where the Sox had scored only a run or two and were either tied or down late in the game, and Frazier came through with a clutch hit. His hitting and the energy he has brought to this team make the 2016 Sox look like a completely different team.

Eaton is 1A, but I have to give it to Frazier. His leadership and clutch hitting/defense has been a breath of fresh air to this ballclub. This team is rolling and looking more united than ever.

I think Melky deserves some love too. Guy has been fantastic at the plate this year and even his defense been solid. His rebound is a huge reason we're sitting 10 games above .500 in early May.

Eaton for me. He's done it with the bat, the glove and the arm. I think Sale, Q and Lawrie are very close seconds.

1. Eaton

2. Frazier

3. Sale

4. Quintana

5. Latos

6. Lawrie

7. Robertson

8. Melky

9. Albers

10. Jackson (just because he made it possible for Eaton to move to RF)

Adam Eaton has already put up 2.0 bWAR. He's the most valuable player.

I'd say Latos, not having two holes in the rotation has made a HUGE difference.

Eaton

See I can't really go with that kind of argument. Sure the overall defense has been much better and Eaton has been the best part of it but it is just one position on the field. Not everything is hit to him.

 

I'm actually kind of shocked at the answers so far. I mean, yes, lots of names to choose from but I thought Sale would be an easy choice .

On a team that has won several one run games, Eaton has saved three runs literally with throwing runners out, and more from a few doubles, home runs and more that he's made plays on.

On a team that has won several one run games, Eaton has saved three runs literally with throwing runners out, and more from a few doubles, home runs and more that he's made plays on.

 

I guess people buy into the new age stats a lot more than I thought they would. Traditionally MVP's of the leagues have been guys who put up big power numbers with a high or at least decent batting average or pitchers who had outstanding years. If a pitcher is bad no amount of defense can save him (see Danks ) Sale is Sale and Q is Q and good defense from the whole team not just Eaton has contributed to his fine start but it's still mostly Sale.

 

I just don't think great defense alone gets you MVP. I mean give me an OBP above .400, OPS around .800, lots of steals, leading the team in some other categories. If you go 1-4/ 2-5 and make all the routine plays but nothing spectacular which is what happens on most days how valuable is that ?

I know I am fighting a losing battle here just like on pitch framing but seriously bWar is not the end all be all . Guys like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Miquel Cabrera , Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays , guys who contributed defensively and offensively are MVP's not guys like Heyward or Kiermeier.

Edited May 3, 20169 yr by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

On a team that has won several one run games, Eaton has saved three runs literally with throwing runners out, and more from a few doubles, home runs and more that he's made plays on.

 

Eaton is too short to have robbed any HR's. Lets not get crazy here. Yes they have won quite a few close games but we could also make arguments that was all a team effort. Good starting pitching, good defense, good bullpen.