MVP Preview

You know we’re getting near the end of the season when every other game recap features a vote for MVP.  It’s time to start sorting through possible candidates and eventually arrive at a list of five players who I think should be the nominees for MVP. To narrow the list, players must meet a few important criteria:

1.       They must be on a team with a good record: As of now, this includes Applebaum, Younger, Feldman, Pollock, Wallman, Lapine, Harris. Team Goldfarb is on the cusp so perhaps by the end of the season, another name can be added to the list.

2.       They must be positive contributors both offensively and defensively: There are certain guys who are having monster offensive seasons, but I would not consider MVP candidates because they don’t fit this criterion. These players should be considered for Offensive Player of the Year instead.

3.       For the sake of equality, only one candidate per team will be considered.

Today I’m going to narrow it down to who I think are the eight finalists based on the above criteria. The final weeks of the season will help narrow this list of 8 to a final list of 5 names.

After considering my rules for MVP consideration I’m left with my first list of candidates.

Brian Applebaum (Applebaum)

Darren Kay (Younger)

Justin Brock (Feldman)

Jared Goldberg (Pollock)

Justin Bykofsky (Wallman)

Glen Roland (Lapine)

Mike Paladino (Harris)

Ari Mesmer (Goldfarb)

Team Goldfarb is only 9-9, but if they end the season as strongly as they’re playing now, Ari has to be part of the list.

So how do I narrow this list of eight great players to only five? A lot has to do with team record, which is something that we won’t have the final date until next month. Maybe player performance will help broaden the gap between the five candidates and the players who almost made the final cut. It’s great to see captains push their best players into the conversation, but these are the only eight names I can imagine making that final nominees list.

As of now, Justin Brock, Darren Kay, Jared Goldberg are essentially locks for the final five based on individual play and team record. I’ll revisit these names at the end of the season.  

Feel free to debate.