Major League Baseball’s Most Valuable Player Awards were handed out on Thursday evening via live MLB Network broadcast. As voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Los Angeles swept the honors.
Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels (17 first-place votes, 355 voting points) won his third American League Most Valuable Player Award over Houston’s Alex Bregman (.296/.423/.592, 31 home runs, 112 RBIs, 168 wRC+, 8.5 fWAR; 13 first-place votes, 335 points) and Oakland’s Marcus Semien (.285/.369/.522, 33 homers, 123 RBIs, 137 wRC+, 7.6 fWAR).
The 28-year-old New Jersey native slashed .291/.438/.645 with 45 home runs, 27 doubles, 104 RBIs, MLB-leading 180 wRC+ and 8.6 fWAR, and -1 defensive runs saved and -1.2 UZR/150 over 1,051 outfield innings.
Trout had his season cut short in September (134 games, 600 plate appearances), but that clearly didn’t deter voters from adding him to the legend-filled list of fellow three-time MVPs:
Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Mike Schmidt, Albert Pujols, and Barry Bonds, who leads the way with seven designations (AL voting results).
Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers (19 first-place votes; 362 voting points) took home the National League honors in a tight race.
The Arizona product beat out 2018’s NL MVP, Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich (.329/.429/.671, 44 home runs, 115 RBIs, 174 wRC+, 7.8 fWAR; 10 first-place votes, 317 points), and Washington’s Anthony Rendon (.319/.412/.598, 34 homers, 126 RBIs, 154 wRC+, 7.0 fWAR) for his first MVP award in his third MLB season.
Bellinger, 24, slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs, 34 doubles, 115 RBIs, 162 wRC+, and 7.8 fWAR — tied for the NL lead with Yelich. His 22 defensive runs saved and 13.7 ultimate zone rating over 1,082 innings in the outfield and 4 DRS/-0.5 UZR in limited time at first base, as well as his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, surely solidified his case (NL voting results).
Stats via FanGraphs
