MVP AWARDS
Less than a year ago Christian Yelich ran the risk of being marooned in Miami. Nine months after a trade to Milwaukee, Yelich is the National League Most Valuable Player, earning 29 of 30 first-place votes. Yelich, the Brewers’ fourth MVP and first since Ryan Braun in 2011, hit 36 home runs, drove in 110 and led the NL in batting average
(.326), slugging and OPS (.598,
1.000) and OPS-plus (164). He also led NL position players in Wins Above Replacement (7.6). The AL MVP went to Boston’s Mookie Betts with 28 of 30 votes. He joins Tris Speaker as the only Sox to claim an MVP and World Series championship in the same season. Betts led the majors in batting average (.346) and slugging (.640), the first Red Sox to lead both those categories in one season since Ted Williams in 1946. The Angels’ Mike Trout was second for the fourth time.