Should Manny Ramirez Get the NL MVP in Major League Baseball?

After 100 games with the Boston Red Sox this season, Manny Ramirez was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers and ended what had not been the most pleasant relationship in the weeks and months leading up to the deal. What Manny did after arriving in LA is nothing less than spectacular.

In just 53 games in the National League, Ramirez racked up 17 home runs, 53 RBIs and batted a whopping .396 in his short stint (source: espn.com). More impressive than those stats is the fact that the Dodgers were trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, but upon the arrival of Ramirez they went on an amazing run and won the West by 2 games over Arizona (source: espn.com). Ramirez seemed to have provided the needed spark that the Dodgers were looking for. It hasn't stopped with the regular season either as Ramirez and the Dodgers just completed a sweep of the heavily favored Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs. In that series, Ramirez went 5 for 10 at the plate and hit 2 home runs. The Dodgers now go on to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS with the winner earning a trip to the 2008 World Series. To add to the drama, the very team that dealt Ramirez to the Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, are playing the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS to see who goes to the 2008 World Series in representation of the AL. This sets up a possible match-up between Manny and his former team. Talk about ratings.

Many in the sporting world feel that Ramirez should not be eligible for the NL MVP because he only spent about a third of the season with L.A. But lets look at what MVP stands for, Most Valuable Player. There is no question that Ramirez has pushed the Dodgers to the next level and they probably wouldn't be where they are now with out him. To me that should at least merit a consideration. The mere fact that he did not play the entire season in the NL should not weigh that heavily on the decision. He made a team that didn't have much of a chance a contender and he did it better than anyone else in the league. It is his impact that should be the biggest factor for consideration.

Even if he is not considered for the NL MVP, Ramirez seems to be a man on a mission. At 36 years old he is playing more like a 26 year old and certainly seems re-energized since he switched leagues. Perhaps Manny will take the Dodgers all the way to a World Series Title. If he does, I'm sure the debate won't be whether he is the league MVP, but rather is he is he the World Series MVP.