The true MVP of the '00s
Albert Pujols has been great since 2001, but another NL star offers more value now
Editor's note: Over the past two weeks on ESPN.com, writers and editors have been looking back at the past decade in baseball -- and looking ahead to the future. On Wednesday, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs identifies baseball's most valuable player at the close of the aughts.
Albert Pujols' greatness is unquestioned. He won his second consecutive National League MVP award this year (his third overall), and this time around, he took home every first-place vote. He's finished in the top four in MVP voting in eight of the nine years he's been in the majors, and he hasn't even turned 30. Yet there is another National League player who is just as valuable, if not more so, and receives none of the accolades. Seriously.
Okay, so we'll give this part away -- it's Chase Utley. But how did FanGraphs determine that? And where do guys like Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Grady Sizemore and Albert Pujols rank on the list of value as the decade ends? For all this and more, you must be an ESPN Insider.
-
ESPN The Magazine subscribers
-
Need more information?
Dave Cameron
FanGraphs- Managing editor of FanGraphs
- Founder of U.S.S. Mariner
- Also contributes to Wall Street Journal
SPONSORED HEADLINES
MORE MLB HEADLINES
- Washington defends Darvish's pitch count
- Yankees put Pettitte on DL with strained muscle
- Yankees win as Kuroda dominates Blue Jays
- Harvey moves to 5-0 as Mets slip past Cubs
MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM
- Law: First 2013 mock draft
- Bowden: Who's better -- Miller or Harvey?
- Nitkowski: MLB clubs now smarter in Asia
- Karabell: Machado deserves more love
- Szymborski: Astros' quest to catch '62 Mets
