Motor City Bengals’ Most Valuable Player Awards: Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw

We’ve reached the end of Major League Baseball’s award week. Today Motor City Bengals staffers will make our final selections, the league Most Valuable Player awards as MLB gets set to announce the winners later today. This past week, we’ve selected the Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Cy Young from each league.

More from Detroit Tigers News

• Detroit Tigers: Is it finally time to move the fences in at Comerica Park?
• Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene continues to impress with his performance
• Detroit Tigers: Outlook on Jace Jung is a little concerning
• The Detroit Tigers’ GM search reeks of incompetence
• Detroit Tigers: 3 things to learn from the Orioles rebuild

Seven MCB staffers picked their top three in each category (though they could choose to name just one or two). Each player finishing first on a writer’s ballot was assigned three points, those finishing in second place received two points, and those in third received one point.

Keep in mind, just like the vote that will be revealed today by MLB for the MVP Awards, these awards were selected based on regular season performances.

AL MVP: Mike Trout

After several years of his supporters whining about their favorite player being passed up for Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout Nation finally gets its way. More than likely the Angels’ outfielder will be selected MVP by baseball writers and he was also selected by MCB writers easily, even with Victor Martinez figuring in the voting.

Trout was a unanimous choice with 21 points and all seven first place votes. V-Mart finished second with nine points.

Rounding out the AL votes is Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz tied for third with four points apiece, Jose Abreu (three points) and Jose Altuve (one point).

NL MVP: Clayton Kershaw

Well, you can’t call the staff of Motor City Bengals hypocrites. This is because we have selected Clayton Kershaw as our National League Most Valuable Player thus answering the seemingly eternal question of “can you have a pitcher be an MVP” in the affirmative just as we did three years ago with Justin Verlander.

That’s not to say it wasn’t a fairly close race. Kershaw edged out Andrew McCutchen 19 points to 12 points. The Pirates’ centerfielder garnered two of the seven first place votes. Also receiving votes were Giancarlo Stanton (10 points), Yadier Molina (1 point). and Russell Martin (1 point).

Tigers MVP: Victor Martinez

Once again no contest here as V-Mart was the unanimous choice for Tigers’ MVP.