On the Yankees beat

Yes, he does -- long overdue for the future Hall of Famer.

I am rooting hard as part of the DJ campaign ... Hitting .380 with runners in scoring position and .347 overall is hard to ignore ... Add to that a gold glove at SS (although probably not deserving) and I think Jeter has enough to edge out Morneau, Dye and Ortiz ... However, can't ignore the anti-NY bias and I think they hate the idea of giving the MVP to a Yankee two years in a row.

There is only one question you need to ask: Where would the 2006 Yankees have finished without Jeter?

But, do the writers really understand what the words Most Valuable really mean? I think they see it Best HR Hitter.

Jeter is clearly the MVP of 2006 !!!

Full disclosure:

Baseball writers from New York newspapers usually vote for one award only, because there are so many of us.

This year I voted for the AL rookie of the year. Here was my ballot.

1. Verlander
2. Liriano
3. Papelbon.

I think there is a NY bias that may hurt Jeter's chances. Voters seems to think that it's easier to play on a team that is loaded and has enough cash to fill holes, but they don't realize all the other stuff that comes with playing in NY, the scrutiny, pressure etc.
Jeter thrives in this environment and should win the MVP. I think the Twins (Morneau and Mauer) may cancel each other out. Jeter is just so good all around, especially this season, that it's hard to pass him up. This will be a very, very close vote.

Yes, he flat out deserves it. His all around play incorporating all facets of game are too much to deny. DJ=MVP.

He should win ....BUT he may not because of another person on the team who may get votes....Johnny Damon.

Best leadoff hitter on the yankees since Rickey Henderson , Best free agent signing since Tino

I like Damon too, but he completely disappeared down the stretch. He won't even get one first place vote, you can count on that.

he was medicore at best He eliminated boston in that series (hahaha) he was the only life in the playoffs along with Abreau

This is however why jeter should win .. for a NUMBER TWO hitter to carry a team is incredible!! his stats at that position in the lineup should destro all other Number two hitters and that should be look at

Jim,

If you had a vote for MVP who would you have voted for?

As for me, my vote would've been Jeter. My prediction is cloudy. Besides the "must have tons of HR's and RBI's" as a must, I'm concerened about the columnists who have complained that Jeter was a poor captain for not hugging ARod.

Fingers and toes crossed for the w/o a doubt MVP - Derek Jeter!

DEREK JETER #1! He leads by example. He knew the team was going to have a tough season with Hideki and Sheff missing substantial time and Alex having a troubled season so he put together one of his most impressive offensive seasons. Not to mention his stellar defense.

To all those that think Jeter should have patted ARod on the butt, this was his way of saying don't worry I got your back. He’s not a “Rah-Rah” kind of leader but he definitely sets a high standard for the team and took pressure off of some of the guys like Alex with his offense this year.

No question in my mind Jeter deserves the award. But Mauer and Morneau are not bad choices either as well as their teammate Santana. Ortiz and Dye fall short I think.

Now will Jeter win?

No idea. I have little faith in the writers to choose the best player. Like in any profession some of the writers are good and some are egregiously bad (like Newsday's Ken Davidoff).

We all have different opinions as baseball fans or reporters. That is ok and it enriches the discussion.

For example Jim's vote was logical and justified. Were I given a vote I would have listed Papelbon as first because I think he was so dominating followed by Verlander and then Weaver. Liriano was absolutely amazing but had too short a season.

I am still amazed at the Davidoff column from a couple of days ago about Jeter not qualifying to be MVP material because of his failure to publicly hug ARod and because he may have scowled in August. He seemed to ignore unimportant facts like batting, scoring, driving in runs, fielding, stealing bases, or other aspects of actually playing the game. It is astounding this man is actually paid to write about sports in a world-class newspaper when he is better suited to crayon celebrity gossip musings on Page 6 of the New York Post. This is the lowest level of sports journalism I have ever seen in Newsday, yet this person somehow is qualified to get a vote on one of the categories.

The whole process is tarnished and I have little faith in the writers if there are more incompetents like Davidoff out there.

Maybe Javy Lopez will win.

I'm not much on winning individual awards, as it generally distracts our attention from building a World Series winning team. In this case though, I believe Jeter winning the MVP will aid our bid to win another World Series. Jeter winning the MVP will either spur A-ROD to having a career year in the "07" season for the Yanks, or get him to urge Cashman to trade him. Jeter has been winning the "gold gloves" that A-ROD used to win, and now Jeter will usurp A-ROD as MVP. A-ROD is a very proud man. It's one thing to have a guy win awards you used to win. Seeing it, day-in and day-out, from just a few feet away, is "death by a thousand cuts".

Jim,
Tie between Jeter and Morneau. Jeter deserves it alone, but anti-NY bias will make it close.

I hope Jeets win, but don't think they'll give to him (the infamous anti-NY bias). As long as Ortiz (who had a nice season, but he's a DH) doesn't get it.

It's ridiculous that there is an Anti-NY factor to consider. I don't know how this can be a credible award when there will be votes based on the fact that the writer hates the NY Yankees. (Excusing the Boston beat writers of course.) You'd think/hope that they'd go based on their love for the game/professional opinion and appreciate the player that Jeter is. And not that he plays for the team they hate, the NY Yankees.

Most talk a lot about intangibles, but Jeter is NOT my MVP.

If Howard can win in the NL for power, and Mauer WON the batting title, the Twins lost a star pitcher, and a host of other reasons, Jeter does not by default win the title.

And this is not about AROD either, some are trying to twist it like a vote for Jeter is proof that no one holds him responsible for Alex, like there is anything to be held responsible for.

Morneau won.

He is a good choice, but Mauer was better I think at a tougher position.

Sportswriters by and large are really a sorry lot.

Dammit! Get 'em next year Jeet!

"Twins lost a star pitcher" -Andy

The Yankees lost 2 everyday players. Jeter picked up the slack with his OBP and .381 average with RISP. Jeter was second in the majors in the category, behind Texas' Michael Young, who hit .412. Ortiz, often cited as the game's best clutch hitter, was at .288 in RISP, 43rd overall.

Howard led the league in HR and RBIs and played a decent 1B everyday (159). He made more contributions than just power. He wasn’t just supplying power hits he had a .313 average. MVP isn't about power it's about your presence on the field making the difference for your team. At least that’s what it should be about.

This has nothing to do with ARod and everything to do with the fact that Jeter deserves the award more than ever this year.

Morneau wins.

Dammed Anti-NY factor!

Maybe I’m biased but I think Jeter should have won this year. It's a conspiracy; they are trying to stop him from having every coveted MLB award, even if he deserves it.

Morneau MVP!? This is insulting to knowledgeable baseball fans. There is definitely an anti NY bias.

"The Twins lost a star pitcher"- At least they HAD a star pitcher (in this case two of them).

Take off the rose colored glasses. First thing first, on a team with our star power - only 97 RBIs. Please!! He is the MVP of our Yankees, but not the AL. Our Yankees weren't even the MVP of NY.

mlbspstr you sound like a Met fan masquerading as a Yankee fan. Oh, I guess because the Mets choked in the NLCS not the NLDS they are the NY MVP team? NOT!

Hey the Yankees overcame a lot of injuries and it was great season watching the young guys have an opportunity to shine and come through for us.

Jeter was by far the AL MVP because he led his team to the playoffs. And contributed when 2 everyday players with high RBI and HR totals were out and a bunch of the line-up was playing injured. (Minnesota was out in the first round too)

His success was consistent; he didn’t get hot towards the end like the announced winner Morneau.

First, I am not a Mets fan, just a Yankee fan that is grounded enough to know just because we spend the most doesn't mean we get the best or have the best. I know that is a rare trait as a Yankee fan, but there are some of us out there.

I just get sick of all the excuses all the typical self proclaimed "Yankee Fans" come up with. If Jeter was AL MVP, he would have more than 97 RBIs especially when 2 studs were out. He ranked 23rd or 24th in RBIs - that is not MVP material.

So consistency and defense means nothing.

The winner was only a major contributor in the second half of the season.

97 RBIs for the #2 batter is a big contribution. He wasn't batting 5th like the winner. Plus he stole 37 basses, had 214 hits, and scored 118 runs. As the #2 hitter he's supposed to move the runner over and get on base (.417 OBP), he did that. Plus had a .381 average with RISP to boot. It was second to only Texas’ M. Young who wasn’t a serious candidate for the award. Jeter also won the gold glove for his position robbing hits and making outs on the other end.

But you know this, right?

morneau is much better period

It's guys like you that make the rest of us Yankee fans look like idiots. If the Yankees don't win, it is somebody else's fault. Out of all the teams out there, we are the team that helped Morneau win the MVP, he batted .458 against us for the year.

Am I an idiot because I'm referring to stats? Isn't that part of the qualifying process. And if you watch Jeter play every day you know he contributes with the little things that don't show up on the scoreboard too.

Justin hit .458 against NY well good for him. I guess that was the number the writers focused on. Not the entire season stats:

.318 average w/RISP, gold glove, batting average (Jeter .343, Justin’s was .321), OBP (Jeter .417, Justin’s was .375), stolen bases (Jeter 37, Justin had 3) and hits (Jeter 217, Justin had 190) and runs (Jeter 118, Justin had 97).

I’m not saying Justin wasn’t great for his team but Jeter was consistent and Justin got hot in the second half.

Yankees always seem to get screwed out of awards. Soriano loses out to Ichiro for ROY in 2001 even though Ichi had played many years in a professional league already. Then, Matsui is ruled out for ROY in 2003 for that very reason although he had a much better year than the winner, Angel Berroa of the Royals (who has since done nothing). Morneau winning this award just seems to defy logic. The Twins had three MVP caliber players on their team, yet the Yankees still finished a game better than the Twins. Ok the Twins did lose a starter, BUT he wasn't even in the rotation to start the season, plus they already had the Cy Young Winner so that should be a moot point. Look back at I believe it was the 2002 season when niether Soriano nor Giambi won the MVP award because of each other even though both players were very deserving. That year A-Rod, who was on the last place Rangers, won the award. In my opinion, playing for a last place team makes you undeserving of an MVP award. So neither Soriano nor Giambi won because they cancelled each other out and sportswriters decided that having another MVP candidate on your team makes you less of an MVP than does playing for a non contender. But in this years balloting although Jeter was a model of consistancy and defensive prowess as well as cleary being the most profficient #2 hitter in either league after his team endured having lost both their #4 and #5 hitters early in the year, the ongoing A-Rod saga and the fact that their pitching outside of Wang was considerably less than stellar, Jeter still loses out to a player in a stacked Twins lineup who plays less of a premium position and whose team didn't even have as good a record as Dereks Yankees. And how appropriote that Jeter was able to accomplish all this the year that he was voted most overrated player in baseball in the preseason

97 RBI's from the number two spot in the lineup is not only outstanding, it's unheard of. Jeter got on base, hit for some power, drove in runs,stole bases and oh by the way, won a gold glove at shortstop. MVP all the way.