MVP voters didn't penalize Ryan Braun

RyanBraun
For all the hand-wringing about "vindictive" writers leaving Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun off their National League Most Valuable Player ballot because of his failed drug test last offseason, none of the 32 voters left him off their ballot, and he was no lower than fourth on any of the ballots. Braun received three of the five first-place votes that didn't go to winner Buster Posey.

Braun finished second overall to Posey, albeit a distant second, collecting 285 points to Posey's 422 votes.

Braun's three first-place votes came from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Braun also had 15 second-place votes, 10 third-place votes and four fourth-place votes. The four fourth-place votes came from Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Hirokazu Higuchi of the Chuinichi Shimbun, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun Times.
Braun, last year's MVP, had a positive drug test last October, but it was overturned on appeal.

Before the announcement of the award, Haudricourt wrote:

If that turns out to be the case, we'll see which writers unduly penalized Braun. Considering he had the best overall offensive season of any player in the NL and the Brewers fought until the final weekend for the second wild-card berth, if Braun is placed much lower than third on ballots it would suggest there was an agenda.

Afterward, despite the fact Braun finished second and was on all 32 ballots, the Brewers beat writer stuck to that theory:

Though Braun's overall numbers were superior to Posey's, many considered the Giants' catcher the favorite for two primary reasons: 1. He led San Francisco to the NL West crown with a sensational second half. 2. Reservations over the positive drug test of Braun in October 2011, though he had it overturned on appeal and it had nothing to do with his 2012 season.

There are three statements in there -- only one can be considered factual -- the Giants did win the National League West. Another is debatable (that Braun's overall numbers were superior), while the last, that voters held Braun's failed test against him, is supported by no facts.

One of those voters, Biertempfel, noted he voted for Braun last season.

"I don't vote on sheer numbers, I'd be lying if I said the drug thing didn't cross my mind, but it was no mitigating factor because last year was last year and this was this year. I believe he started this year with a clean slate," Biertempfel said on Thursday.

Biertempfel, who has covered the Pirates the last 20 years, said his first-place vote came down to Posey and the Pirates' McCutchen.

"I thought clearly throughout the course of the entire season that Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen were the best players in the National League," Biertempfel said. "Posey was ultimately more consistent longer."

At that point, he said it came down to two players he sees quite a bit in the NL Central, Braun and Yadier Molina.

"I see them a ton, I see them crush the Pirates a ton. I considered a lot of things, but I consider Yadier Molina a better overall player than Ryan Braun," Biertempfel said. "I've seen him beat the Pirates more different ways than Ryan Braun. To me, he's a more complete player."

Like I wrote of my ballot, I put in a lot of thought and considered many different things in my ballot. So, too, did Biertempfel. We didn't have the same ballot and didn't agree on everything, but we both put in plenty of thought and consideration to our ballots. In the end, though, there was no backlash against Braun, it's just that more people believed Posey had a better season than Braun. That, not a conspiracy or vendetta, was why Posey earned the MVP over Braun.


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(cbssports.com)
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