MVP pitchers: more on the case against Kershaw.

Pitchers are part time players.  Relievers are part time pitchers.  Pitchers, especially relievers, should not be MVP.

Case against Kershaw for MVP: 198 innings.  Monday, November 10, 2014

The modern MVP started in 1931 with a winner selected in each of the two major leagues: American and National...

The CY award was started in 1956 because pitchers were winning the MVP award too often...

Starters pitch in less than 25% of their team games. 162 games multiplied by 9 innings equals 1,458 innings. A player should appear in at least 80% to be considered full time. If a pitcher throws in 200 innings he appears in about 14% of his team's innings...

If a pitcher strikes out 200 batters he is retiring 4.5% (of his team's outs). 300 strike outs: 6.85%...

Kershaw gets a break in that the other two finalists also missed time in 2014 after being hit by pitch:
- Giancarlo Stanton: 145 games, 638 plate appearances
- Andrew McCutchen: 146 games, 648 plate appearances
- Clayton Kershaw: 27 games, 198 innings pitched.

What the heck?  You can play WAR games all you want but it doesn't make sense.  Clayton Kershaw should not be voted MVP. Personally, I like Stanton but I'm OK with McCutchen winning his second consecutive.
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Kershaw pitched in only 27 of his team's 162 games: 16.66%.  The Dodgers played 135 games without Kershaw.  So, how valuable could Kershaw have possibly been when he did nothing in 83% of the games?  NOTHING.  Here are MVP pitchers through 2013:

First	Last	year	L	team	G	GS	Inn	W	L	SHO	SV	SO	BB	HR
Lefty	Grove	1931	AL	PHA	41	30	289	31	4	4	5	175	62	10
Carl	Hubbell	1933	NL	NY1	45	33	309	23	12	10	5	156	47	6
Dizzy	Dean	1934	NL	SLN	50	33	312	30	7	7	7	195	75	14
Carl	Hubbell	1936	NL	NY1	42	34	304	26	6	3	3	123	57	7
Bucky	Walters	1939	NL	CIN	39	36	319	27	11	2	0	137	109	15
Mort	Cooper	1942	NL	SLN	37	35	279	22	7	10	0	152	68	9
Spud	Chandler	1943	AL	NYA	30	30	253	20	4	5	0	134	54	5
Hal	Newhouser	1944	AL	DET	47	34	312	29	9	6	2	187	102	6
Hal	Newhouser	1945	AL	DET	40	36	313	25	9	8	2	212	110	5
Jim	Konstanty	1950	NL	PHI	74	0	152	16	7	0	22	56	50	11
Bobby	Shantz	1952	AL	PHA	33	33	280	24	7	5	0	152	63	21
Don	Newcombe	1956	NL	BRO	38	36	268	27	7	5	0	139	46	33
Sandy	Koufax	1963	NL	LAN	40	40	311	25	5	11	0	306	58	18
Denny	McLain	1968	AL	DET	41	41	336	31	6	6	0	280	63	31
Bob	Gibson	1968	NL	SLN	34	34	305	22	9	13	0	268	62	11
Vida	Blue	1971	AL	OAK	39	39	312	24	8	8	0	301	88	19
Rollie	Fingers	1981	AL	ML4	47	0	78	6	3	0	28	61	13	3
Willie	Hernandez	1984	AL	DET	80	0	140	9	3	0	32	112	36	6
Roger	Clemens	1986	AL	BOS	33	33	254	24	4	1	0	238	67	21
Dennis	Eckersley	1992	AL	OAK	69	0	80	7	1	0	51	93	11	5
Justin	Verlander	2011	AL	DET	34	34	251	24	5	2	0	250	57	24

Ignoring the four really absurd cases of relief pitchers winning MVP:

most games 50 (17 in relief) Dizzy Dean 1934

fewest games 30 (all starts) Spud Chandler 1943

most starts 41 (no relief) Denny McLain 1968

fewest starts 30 Lefty Grove 1931 (11 in relief), Spud Chandler 1943

most innings 336 Denny McLain 1968

fewest innings 251 Justin Verlander 2011

most wins 31 Denny McLain 1968 and Lefty Grove 1931

fewest wins 20 Spud Chandler 1943

most losses Carl Hubbell 12 1933

fewest 4 losses Lefty Grove 1931, Roger Clemens 1986, Spud Chandler 1943

The fewest innings by a starter (251) through 2013 is 27% more than the 198 Kershaw had in 2014.

The fewest games by a starter (30 in a 154 game schedule, 19.48%) compared to Kershaw's 27 of 162 games, 16.66%.

Kershaw would have the fewest losses and one more win than Chandler.  But the very low participation in his team's games makes Kershaw a very dubious MVP candidate.

1933 Goudey baseball card of Robert "Lefty" Grove of the Philadelphia Athletics by Goudey [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons