Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; MLB commissioner Bud Selig presents San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner with the MVP trophy next to the Commissioners Trophy after game seven of the 2014 World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charlie Neibergall/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
You play to win championships. If you have someone that can do that and be dominate at the same time, then its insurmountable. Bumgarner brings this exact presence.
He’s getting better every season and is already dominate. You aren’t going to get the dominating numbers you get from Kershaw, but you get enough to win, and that’s all you can ask from your pitcher. On top of that, you get the postseason play that you don’t get from Kershaw.
Also, Bumgarner has a nice, fluid windup that is going to suit him best for the long haul. He’s not jerky with his delivery and that will help a lot with wear on his arm. Kershaw on the other hand, has a very peculiar delivery that takes a lot to get going. I personally don’t see it helping him in the long run. If I’m building my team around someone, I want longevity to be a key part.
Is it appropriate to make assumptions and jump to conclusions after watching just one little snippet of Bumgarner in the playoffs? For 95% of the season you have Kershaw dominate on every single level, but fall short in the playoffs. On the other hand, you have Bumgarner who doesn’t perform as well as Kershaw but outperforms him in 5% of the season: the playoffs.
With that being said, I don’t think its entirely fair to judge Kershaw off of his postseason performance. He’s only really pitched against the Cardinals and maybe they are just his weakness. He has more than enough time to change his playoff legacy into whatever he wants it to be. Until then, I would have to go with Madison Bumgarner to build my team around. It’s a tough decision and you really can’t go wrong with either one.
It all comes down to rings. At the end of the day, you’ll be judged by the championships you won, not complete games or Cy Young’s won.