1999 al mvp? a joke? pudge? really?!?

Pudge was also a Gold Glove winner that year... not so much for Manny. The MVP award is more the most valuable PLAYER, not HITTER. That award is the Silver Slugger. Catchers throughout history have been valued higher than other positions. Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, and Johnny Bench all won multiple MVPs, even during years when they were certainly not the best hitter in the league.