Matt Kemp for MVP - Because Peter Gammons Says So

I don't want to be a impartial. I don't want to be objective. I don't think anyone would ever say I'm capable of having any of those qualities as a human, let alone as a writer. I am a complete homer. I love the Lakers and I love the Dodgers. So my saying that I think that Clayton Kershaw deserves the Cy Young should come as a surprise to no one, and much to my delight, has come with little disagreement.

In the same vein, my invisible National League MVP vote would go to Matt Kemp. My reasons are pretty cut and dry - he ranks in the top three in average, hits, runs scored, RBI, homers, steals, slugging, OPS, total bases, extra base hits, intentional walks and wins over replacement player. He's carried the dead weight of a Dodgers corpse stricken with the rigor mortis of Rod Barajas, Dioner Navarro and Casey Blake to a respectable record. He's the lone force to be reckoned with in a feeble Dodgers' lineup, and has somehow connected with enough pitches to force that impressive resume of offensive statistics. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are all having great seasons with playoff-caliber teams. But they have help. Take Kemp away from that Dodgers team, and they lose close to 100 games.

But don't take my word for it. Take Peter Gammons':

"But at the risk of setting off yet another MVP-defining firestorm, from this scenic overlook Kemp is the National League's most valuable player. And before beginning the litany of his statistical achievements, let it be noted that his 37th home run came in PETCO Park, where flyballs die, and that his numbers have been accumulated playing nearly 100 games at Dodger Stadium, PETCO and San Francisco's AT&T Park"

Gammons has a fantastic point here. Park factors being what they are, Kemp has destroyed pitching in Dodger Stadium (.981 OPS), Petco Park (1.058 OPS) and AT&T Park (.695 OPS, but against the team with the lowest SP ERA and in the park that allows the least amount of runs in the majors).

I might be a total homer, with my opinions constantly colored by my home team bias. But if the GOAT of baseball journalism says it, you all have to listen. And that's the bottom line. Because Peter Gammons says so.