Donaldson collected 23 first-place votes.
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Angels outfielder Mike Trout got the other seven first-place votes and finished second for the third time – he won the award previous year. The Nationals right fielder got all 30 votes he’s the seventh National League unanimous MVP and the youngest from either league to win the award since Cal Ripken in 1983. Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cainwas third.
Donaldson led the AL in RBIs with 123 and was third in the AL with 41 home runs. The 22-year-old lefty was third in the National League with a. 330 batting average and led the majors with a. 649 slugging percentage, .460 on-base percentage, 1.109 OPS, and 9.9 bWAR and 9.5 fWAR.
Harper is the youngest unanimous NL MVP victor since Johnny Bench in 1970 and the youngest MVP since Cal Ripken, Jr.in 1983. Donaldson also hit for a higher batting average in high-leverage situations (when a lead could change hands), though Trout had the better on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
Harper becomes just the 13th player to win an MVP at age 23 or younger. Interestingly, Harper, Goldschmidt and 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto (the top three vote getters) came from teams that did not make the post-season. As much as we may want to holler and feel that Goldschmidt got ripped off (again, according to a few folks), the fact is Bryce Harper deserved to win the award. After a phenomenal performance throughout the season, Nationals slugger Harper bagged the award on Thursday as announced by the league.
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has been named National League MVP for 2015.
After spending his first four seasons with the Athletics, Donaldson moved to Toronto last offseason after Oakland traded him for far less in return.
The 24-year-old versatile Villar is primarily a shortstop but has played third base, second base and outfield.
Voters left no doubt about the winners of the National and American League Most Valuable Player awards. He also becomes the first Jay to win the AL MVP since George Bell did so in 1987. Donaldson’s 34 go-ahead hits were five more than the player with the next-most (Matt Kemp). “As we said at this time past year, I thought that ‘Harp” was just scratching the surface of what he can be”. His 42 home runs tied him for most in the NL with Nolan Arenado and his.
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Donaldson and the Blue Jays made it to the ALCS after their most successful season in over two decades, but fell to the eventual World Series Champion Kansas City Royals in six games.
