Garceau: MVP's Are A-OK
He was the National League Rookie of the Year at age 19, now 23 Bryce Harper has added an MVP trophy to his mantle. 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.
Harper's resume had MVP written all over it. He led the majors in on-base percentage (.460), slugging (.649) and WAR (9.9). He is the third-youngest player since 1900 to lead the majors in OBP and slugging (Ty Cobb, 1909 and Stan Musial, 1941). Harper also tied for the NL lead in homers (42) and had the second-best batting average in the NL (.330). In his first full season playing right field he was a Gold Glove finalist.
While opposing pitching coaches warned "don't let him beat us" Harper often did. Twice he was walked 4 times in a game with teams pitching around him in a Nationals lineup that was often depleted by injuries. Harper is the first Nationals player to win the MVP award and the first ever from the Nationals/Expos franchise that dates back to 1969.
Toronto's Josh Donaldson bagged the American League MVP award with a 23-7 vote advantage over last year's winner Mike Trout; the Royals Lorenzo Cain was a distant third and the Orioles Manny Machado finished fourth. Donaldson led the AL in RBIs with 123 and was third in the league with 41 home runs. His 8.8 WAR was the third-best in the majors. His batting average was .297 and he had a .939 OPS.
Donaldson went to Toronto in an offseason trade with Oakland; he brought more than a booming bat his grit and toughness helped lead the Blue Jays to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. The Blue Jays won 93 games and the AL East title and went on to the ALCS, where they lost to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals in six games.
No knock on Harper but his huge year couldn't help an underachieving Nats team; where in Toronto Donaldson was the straw that stirred the drink and gave Canadian fans post-season baseball for the first time 22 years. Not bad for a 30 year-old guy who just 4 years ago was a minor league catcher.
