(New York) St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge were the winners of Major League Baseball’s Most Valuable Player honors on Thursday night.
Goldschmidt, who received 22 of 30 first-place votes in the National, claimed the honor for the first time in his career after coming close on a few occasions.
“It’s a great honor, but it’s not just about me,” Goldschmidt said during his interview on MLB Network. There are so many people who have helped me. »
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado finished second overall, having received seven first-place votes.
Goldschmidt’s Cardinals teammate Nolan Arenado finished third, having been named first in the ballot once.
The 35-year-old Goldschmidt hit .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs this season. He led the National with a .578 power average and a .981 presence plus power average.
Goldschmidt also had 41 doubles, scored 106 points and had a .404 on-base average.
Selected seven times in the All-Star Game and winner of four Golden Gloves, Goldschmidt finished second in the National Most Valuable Player polls in 2013 and 2015 and took third place in 2017. For these three times, he wore the colors of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Machado hit .298 with 32 homers, 102 RBIs, 37 doubles and 100 runs scored. He helped the Padres reach the playoffs and advance to the National Championship Series.
Arenado batted .293 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. He was once again very effective defensively, winning the Golden Glove at third base for a 10e times in a row.
Led by Goldschmidt, Arenado and the strong comeback of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals won the title of the Central section of the National for the second time in four years. They were, however, swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of playoffs.
“Whether I won or not, it was a great year,” Goldschmidt said. It was my best and funniest year, playing with Nolan, Albert and the other players on the team. It was amazing.
PHOTO LM OTERO, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Aaron Judge
Judge, meanwhile, received the honor after hitting 62 home runs to break Roger Maris’ American record of 61 in 1961.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros were the other finalists.