TO AVOID ANY SWAYED POLLS, PLEASE VOTE BEFORE READING ON!!!

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Okay, I had two 8-hour road trips this weekend with my wife sleeping in the seat next to me and consequently had all the time in the world to do some thinking about baseball.  The question popped into my head of "Should a pitcher win the MVP?"

Logical arguments say that the MVP should go to a player who plays every day.  But, how much influence does a single pitcher really have?  Here are some things I thought of:

An MVP pitcher will average 7+ innings pitched with a WHIP around 1.00.  Therefore, a pitcher will face, on average, 28-30 batters per game every fifth game.

An MVP batter will average 4.5 or so AB's per game and will, in the same five games, appear at the plate 22.5 times.  

Obviously, plate appearances are not the only important thing an MVP will affect.  Unless the batter is a DH, he will also make plays in the field, so we should not discount this.  A pitcher will influence the freshness of his bullpen and the sharpness of his fielders.

So, vote, state your case, and smile seeing Oakland on top of the AL West!!!