Baseball — America’s game? I don’t think so.
Do you know that it has been four years since an American-born player has won the National League Most Valuable Player award?
What’s happening to the American baseball player?
Okay, that’s an overreaction. But it is curious that for the third straight year, a foreign-born player has won the NL MVP honor — though it will probably come as news to many that Cincinnati’s Joey Votto was born in Canada.
The two previous years, Dominican baseball legend Albert Pujols won the NL MVP honors. And one could make the case this year that Votto won because voters got tired of giving it to Pujols — the Michael Jordan MVP fatigue syndrome.
Not that Votto wasn’t deserving. The Cincinnati first baseman received 31 of 32 first place votes and 443 points in the voting announced by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America on Monday.
Votto batted .324, second in the NL, and finished third in home runs (37) and RBI (113). He also led the NL in slugging percentage (.600), and all of baseball in on-base percentage (.424).
He was very valuable to a Reds team that won the NL Central Division. So was Pujols, though for a disappointing St. Louis Cardinals team that finished second in the division behind the Reds.
Pujols led the NL with 42 home runs and 118 RBI. He batted .312. Those are MVP numbers. He received the only other first place vote and 279 points in the baseball writers balloting.
It was Pujols’ 10th straight season finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting. He has won the award three times — in 2005, 2008 and 2009 — and finished second four times.
Cardinals players are used to this. They’ve won the award 20 times. Only the New York Yankees have more MVP winners over their history, with 22.
Reds players have been named MVP 10 times.
How many Washington ballplayers have ever won MVP honors?
Zip. Nada. None.
Since the writer’s award, in its current existence, began in 1931, not one player for any Washington franchise has been named baseball’s MVP.
There were some earlier attempts at MVP awards before 1931, and Senators pitching great Walter Johnson and shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh won those. But they were flawed systems and done away with in favor of the baseball writer’s awards starting in 1931.
This year, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (25 home runs, 84 RBI, .307 average in 142 games) finished 16th. Just eight of 32 voters had him on the ballot. Departed slugger — yes, say goodbye to him — Adam Dunn (38 home runs, 103 RBI, .260 average in 158 games) finished in a tie for 21st, as just five of 32 voters named him on their ballots.
Bryce Harper finished third in the voting.
Just kidding.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected]
