Choosing a Baseball MVP

Choosing an MVP in baseball is an exercise in the arbitrary. The process is imperfect in other sports as well, but it is easier for an individual to dominate a basketball season and in football, quarterbacks will always have the inside track. But who is to say a good defensive catcher or shortstop hitting .250 is less valuable to his team than a home run or batting champion. The award should be either be changed to simply Best Player, or else, given the game's evolution, the MVP should be given to an outstanding relief pitcher, the sine qua non of modern baseball.