Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout was named the American League MVP on Thursday, for the second time in three years.
Baseball Writers' Association of America shared the news and final voting tallies:
Trout discussed his victory, per MLB Network PR: "I was surprised. ... I'm speechless, man."
This marks Trout's fifth consecutive year as an AL MVP finalist, which is a huge accomplishment that Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times attempted to put into perspective:
Aside from 2014, Trout had three second-place finishes, including last season. While Trout's power took a dip in 2016, he made strides in essentially all other areas.
The 25-year-old superstar hit .315 with 29 home runs, 100 RBI, 30 stolen bases and an American League-leading 123 runs scored.
Per MLB Stat of the Day, Trout did something that hadn't been accomplished in the AL in more than two decades:
While Trout received stiff competition from Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, the stats suggest Trout was far and away the best player in the American League in 2016.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Trout led the AL with 10.6 wins above replacement, which beat out Betts' 9.6 and Altuve's 7.7.
In addition to his power and speed on the basepaths, Trout played high-quality defense, as evidenced by his defensive runs saved above average of six, per Baseball-Reference.com.
There are few five-tool players in Major League Baseball, but Trout is chief among them and has been since his rookie season in 2012.
Trout has been an All-Star and MVP finalist in all five of his full MLB seasons to this point, and while the Angels had a disappointing 74-88 campaign in 2016, his performance was transcendent enough to overcome that and net the second MVP award of his career.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments