Pedro MVP debate rages on

Without Pedro, the BoSox would be boohooing at home.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez should be the American League MVP. Yet despite his having carried his team into the playoffs and blown away the competition for the American League (AL) ERA crown, some critics maintain that Pedro doesn't deserve to be MVP, probably because of the historical prejudice against pitchers winning the award. Sure, pitchers are traditionally snubbed, but rarely does a pitcher have a year like Martinez's 1999—Roger Clemens, the 1986 AL MVP, posted a nearly identical record to Martinez, but his ERA was half a run higher.

When baseball writers cast their votes for MVP, their selection should be the player whose team would suffer the most if he were taken off their roster.

COURTESY CBS.SPORTSLINE.COM Pedro Martinez is the heart and soul of the Boston Red Sox, but is he the AL MVP?

Using this standard, let's look at some of the other leading MVP candidates. Consider Ivan Rodriguez. Clearly, his defensive skills are excellent, but has anyone ever used a glove to win the MVP? Give Rodriguez a Gold Glove, not an MVP. If his bat were removed from the Rangers lineup, hitters like Rafael Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez, Todd Zeile, Rusty Greer, and Lee Stevens would still prevent Texas from ending up in pitcher's duels. Similarly, although Manny Ramirez put up huge numbers this year, it's safe to say that the White Sox or Tigers wouldn't have taken the AL Central Division title from the Indians if Ramirez had broken his leg in the off-season. Some people argue that Derek Jeter deserves the MVP. But even though the Yankees aren't as good as they were last year, without their shortstop they would still have made the playoffs.

On the other hand, without Pedro, the Sox would be playing golf in October. A look at Boston's playoff rotation shows just how important Pedro Martinez has been. Their other starters were all either hurt for a good portion of the year or were practically given away by the St. Louis Cardinals. With the exception of superstar Nomar Garciaparra, the Red Sox lineup is, in the words of Boston reliever Rod Beck, a collection of "grinders and .270 hitters."

The MVP should be someone who leads his team in the stretch run. In Pedro's final seven regular season starts, he went 6-0 with an 0.82 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 55 innings. His injury in Game One of the AL Division Series stripped the Sox of their only weapon, leaving them defenseless against the Cleveland Indians' offensive abuse. Boston eventually lost the game, and without Martinez, they figure to lose more than that.