Sports - 2007 N.L Baseball M.V.P. Jimmy Rollins!! 
superboy says: J-ROLL WINS 2007 M.V.P!! :deal:PHILADELPHIA -- Considering the amazing streaks for the teams whose uniforms they wore, the National League MVP race had to be this close. There could be no other finish. But Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins, all 5-foot-8 of him, stood taller than Colorado's Matt Holliday and Milwaukee's Prince Fielder, as the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the results of its final individual award given out this season. Of the 32 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city, Rollins was listed first on 16, second on seven, third on four, fourth on four and fifth on one for a total of 353 points. Holliday's breakdown was 11 first-place votes, 18 seconds, one third, one fourth and one sixth for 336 points.
The 17-point differential between Rollins and Holliday made the 2007 election the 20th closest overall and ninth in the NL since the current format was adopted by the BBWAA in 1938.
Rollins gives the Phillies their seventh MVP award, joining Chuck Klein (1932), Jim Konstanty (1950), Mike Schmidt (1980, 1981, 1986) and Ryan Howard (2006). With Howard, the Phillies become the first club with back-to-back MVPs since San Francisco's Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds in 2000 and 2001. Tuesday's announcement should spark debate about which player meant more to his team. Everything Philadelphia accomplished in 2007 focused on Rollins, starting with his January boast that the Phillies were the "team to beat" in the NL East. That disregarded the Mets, who captured the division the previous season and the Braves, who won it seemingly every year before that. Despite taking flack after Philadelphia's 4-11 season-opening stumble, Rollins remained at the center of the Phillies' resurgence. He batted .346 (28-for-81) with six homers, 15 RBIs and 15 runs in 18 games against those Mets and started all 162 games at shortstop, playing all but 17 innings. Batting in the leadoff spot for most of the season, he kept the offense churning. He committed just 11 errors, enough for his first Gold Glove, though his fielding percentage was second to Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki. 2007 NL MVP Award Voting Results Player, Club
Jimmy Rollins, PHI
Matt Holliday, COL Prince Fielder, MIL David Wright, NYM Ryan Howard, PHI Chipper Jones, ATL Jake Peavy, SD Chase Utley, PHI
When closer Brett Myers hurled his glove in the air following a called strike three against Washington's Wily Mo Pena -- securing a 13-4 finish that earned the Phillies their first postseason appearance since 1993 -- Rollins' MVP credentials were cemented. "If Jimmy doesn't win the MVP, there's something wrong with the system," left fielder Pat Burrell said on the final day of the season. "This guy, he took us on his shoulders from Day 1, and did things in this game that never happened." The voters on the NL Most Valuable Player Award committee filed ballots after the regular season, and most took the option of waiting until Rockies' one-game playoff win over the Padres. Each writer could list a top 10 in order. Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second-place vote, etc. Rollins became the first player in history to collect at least 200 hits, 25 homers, 15 triples and 25 steals in a season. Overall, the switch-hitter batted .296, with 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 homers, 94 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, 212 hits and 139 runs scored. The 139 runs scored and 88 extra-base hits were league records for a shortstop. He also set a Major League record with 716 at-bats, and became the third shortstop in history to have at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in a season, after Barry Larkin in 1996 and Alex Rodriguez in 1998. Holliday, meanwhile, captured the league's batting and RBI titles, and led the Rockies into the postseason for the first time since 1995. The left fielder was the focal point of the team's 15-1 run to get there, batting .442 with five homers and 17 RBIs. Overall, he batted .340, with 50 doubles, 36 homers, 137 RBIs, 216 hits and 120 runs scored. He also led the league in hits, total bases, doubles and extra-base hits. The statistics only told part of the story. The voters went with the player who backed up a bold prediction. On a team with Howard and Chase Utley, who himself had an MVP campaign despite missing five weeks with a broken hand, Rollins simply was the team's most valuable. Now, he has the hardware. "He's the MVP of the National League," manager Charlie Manuel said often in September. "He sets the tone on offense and defense. He plays every day. I've never seen so many hard-hit balls in my life, and he turns them into double plays. He's the guy that got us going ... all year." courtesy Phillies.com Next year, its Chase Utleys M.V.P year. Original post: 2007 N.L Baseball M.V.P. Jimmy Rollins!! |
