Angels’ Trout wins AL MVP for second time

This year, Trout’s Angels won only 74 games, 19 fewer than Betts’ Red Sox and 10 fewer than Altuve’s Astros.

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File).

While the Los Angeles Angels stumbled, Mike Trout soared again.

Mike Trout and Kris Bryant won the American League and National League MVP awards on Thursday.

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File). He finished ahead of fellow finalists Mookie Betts of Boston and Houston’s Jose Altuve.

Mike Trout’s greatness has never been questioned. I don’t ever want to be that person who people say, ‘He is too cocky.’ I just want to go out there and put smiles on people’s faces, win a lot of games along the way. With many years left in the career of Mike Trout, he could very well win this award many more times. “Twice, I guess you saw my emotions tonight, it was something special”.

Trout, who led the league in runs scored (123), on-base percentage (.441) and walks (116), batted.315 with 29 home runs, 100 RBI, 30 steals and a.991 OPS.

You can argue how much of an impact Betts had on the team, but facts are facts in the win-loss column and Trouts team finished 3rd in the AL West. Fans and writers alike have argued whether or not the teams standing should have an impact on voting, and historically it has played a factor.

Trout became the first player in either league to win the MVP while playing for a team with a losing record since the Texas Rangers’ Alex Rodriguez captured the award in 2003.

In 22 of the past 23 non-strike seasons, the AL MVP came from a postseason team. Since 2012, Trout finished second three times in the MVP voting, including 2013 when he lost by only three votes.

Not only did the Chicago Cubs slugger help his team win its first World Series in more than a century, but on November 17, he was also named the Most Valuable Player of the National League!

“It’s definitely the best game of my whole life”, Bryant said after the June 27 game. “I mean, winning a World Series, now this”. He is the team’s first MVP victor since 1998, when Sammy Sosa clubbed 66 home runs and led the Cubs to the National League wild card berth.

Long regarded as a fine hitter, Murphy built on his power surge from 2015 by putting up career highs in home runs (25), RBI (104), slugging percentage (.595) and OPS (.985). Voters are required to submit their ballots before the playoffs even start. The once-forlorn franchise enjoying its best run in decades also had two of the top MVP candidates, with first baseman Anthony Rizzo finishing fourth.

“I’m speechless, man”, Trout said moments later in an interview from his parents’ home in Cumberland County. Trout was listed in the top-three on 28-of-30 ballots while also receiving a fifth-place vote and a seventh-place vote.