To be surprise of no one, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant won his first NL MVP. In the space of two seasons, Bryant has been NL Rookie of the Year, two NL All-Star appearances, a World Series winner and now a NL MVP. Bryant hit .292 with 39 HR and 102 RBI. At 24, the best is still yet to come barring injury.
However, Mike Trout winning his second AL MVP is a surprise. Don't get me wrong. Trout had the stats (.315 BA, 29 HR, 100 RBI), but the Angels finished 21 games out of the first place in the AL West. Trout becomes the first AL MVP winner from a non-pennant winning team since Alex Rodriguez won his first MVP with the Texas Rangers in 2003. I thought Boston Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts was, well, a sure bet. His stats were better than Trout (.318 BA, 31 HR, 113 RBI) and he earned a Gold Glove leading the Sox to an AL East title. Maybe the BBWAA felt guilty about giving the AL Cy Young to Rick Porcello. Perhaps Betts winning the AL MVP would have put Red Sox haters into a state of fever pitch.
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