I hate replying with a lack of substance, but you put my feelings into words so very well. Winning matters. It's not the only thing, no. I'd give Trout a 2nd place vote though. Not voting Trout for 1st place MVP doesn't diminish him in any way. It's not a slight on him at all. But the MVP vote for me, is going to be a guy that elevates his team into the post-season, at a minimum. You can ballyhoo over the terminology all you want, but to me, it's not a most outstanding player award. If that were the case, we'd use an objective measure like fWAR. It's a most valuable player award. The most valuable players are those who cause their team to play in October. It's a subjective measure to me and thus Betts.