Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout was named as an American League MVP finalist on Monday night, along with Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien.
Trout, a two-time MVP, has finished in the top-five in MVP voting in each of his eight full seasons. He posted a league-best .291/.438/.645 slash line in 2019, but his season was cut short to 134 games due to foot injury that required surgery.
Bregman, who was the 2018 all-star MVP, walked a league-high 119 times and posted an impressive 1.015 OPS in 156 games. He also homered three times in the World Series, where his Astros came up one game short against the Washington Nationals.
Semien, who is in his seventh season and has never previously received MVP votes, was a bit of a surprise selection. But while Semien had a strong offensive season — 33 home runs and .892 OPS in 162 games — he was stellar defensively, leading AL shortstops in defensive runs above average (14.1).
Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts won the AL MVP award last year. This year’s winner will be named next week.
[relatedlinks]