While we all know by now who took home the trophy, the voting results beyond the first place spot may shock you.
In order to understand these results more, let’s take a look at them.
- Mike Trout, 355 points
- Alex Bregman, 335 points
- Marcus Semien, 228 points
- D.J. Lemahieu, 178 points
- Xander Bogaerts, 147 points
As we all thought throughout the season, it was likely a two-man race for the trophy this season. Were Semien, LeMahieu, and Bogaerts all MVP worthy? For their teams, yes. While the Athletics and Yankees obtained a playoff berth, those players respectively help those teams a lot. Even though the Red Sox did not make the playoffs, Xander Bogaerts was reliable not only at the plate, but defensively as well.
His .309 average, 33 homers, and 117 RBI marked a huge breakout season for the shortstop, and he went off on the defensive side as well. He made 13 errors on the season, and while he’s no Lindor or Correra with the glove, he is getting close. He ranked 10th in FanGraphs’ defensive metrics at the position last season.
Trout became the first MVP to miss the playoffs since 2003 Alex Rodriguez. While we all know it’s because the Angels lack a core around him, it’s still sad that he has more MVP nods than playoff appearances. It truly makes one wonder how long this will continue until he goes elsewhere for postseason success.
Let’s look at the last decade of AL MVP winners.
- 2009 Joe Mauer playoff berth: Lost in ALDS
- 2010 Josh Hamilton playoff berth: Lost in World Series
- 2011 Justin Verlander playoff berth: Lost in ALCS
- 2012 Miguel Cabrera playoff berth: Lost in World Series
- 2013 Miguel Cabrera playoff berth: Lost in ALCS
- 2014 Mike Trout playoff berth: Lost in ALDS
- 2015 Josh Donaldson playoff berth: Lost in ALDS
- 2016 Mike Trout playoff berth: Lost in WC
- 2017 Jose Altuve playoff berth: World Series Champion
- 2018 Mookie Betts playoff berth: World Series Champion
We commonly see Trout’s name on the MVP list, but when will we see World Series champion next to it? As long as he is a member of the Halos, that comparison will likely never come.
