The brilliance that Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. showed in the 2023 MLB campaign has been recognized in an unprecedented way. Both players won the MVP honors in their respective leagues by unanimous vote, something that never happened in the history of the award.

Ohtani captured his second AL MVP award and became the first MVP winner in the history of MBL to do it unanimously twice. Texas Rangers’ duo Corey Seager and Marcus Semien finished second and third in the voting, respectively.

Ohtani, who is a free agent this offseason, batted .304 with an AL-leading 44 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 135 games. The two-way phenom also made 23 starts as a pitcher, posting a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

Acuna Jr., on the other hand, had a historic season that saw him hit 41 homers and get 73 stolen bases. This made him the only player in league history to have more than 40 home runs and 46 stolen bases in a single season. He also had a batting average of .337, which was second-best in the entire MLB behind Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Bets finished second in NL MVP voting, receiving all 30 second-place votes, while his teammate Freddie Freeman finished third.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Win Unanimous MVP Honors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

With the shortened MLB season coming to a close after just over two months of action, the races to decide the Most Valuable Players and Cy Young Award winners in both leagues are finally wrapping up.

Despite the 60-game slate, there have been plenty of pitchers and position players who have stood out in what will undoubtedly be a season for the history books.

Let’s predict the winners of the league’s top awards!

AL Cy Young: Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians

The easiest award to hand out will be the AL Cy Young Award, where one player laps the rest of the competition: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber.

Bieber is third in baseball in innings pitched, first in ERA, first in strikeouts, and has compiled an outstanding 8-1 record to push the Indians to yet another playoff berth. At just 25 years old, you can bet that this won’t be the only time that Bieber will be in the race for a pitching prize like this.

Runners-up: Kenta Maeda (Twins), Dylan Bundy (Angels)

NL Cy Young: Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs

The NL Cy Young Award might be the tightest awards race in all of baseball. While there are other deserving candidates, the ace of a Chicago Cubs team that has led them to first place in their division despite pre-season doubts in an enormous comeback season is my pick: Yu Darvish.

Darvish has returned to his prime form this season, posting a minuscule 2.22 ERA in 11 starts for the Cubs. He has maintained an excellent 88:13 strikeout to walk ratio and kept opposing batters from making hard contact. This will be a close vote, but the Japanese ace is my pick to dethrone Jacob deGrom, who also has a real shot at winning.

Runners-up: Jacob deGrom (Mets), Trevor Bauer (Reds)

AL Most Valuable Player: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

No one would have expected Jose Ramirez to be the leader in contention for the AL MVP at this point a month ago, but a blistering hot final stretch to the season has led the Dominican infielder to 2nd place in the Major Leagues in home runs (17) and the sixth-best wRC+ in the league (158) for an Indians’ offense he helped ignite. Not only that, but he’s been one of the best defensive third basemen in the Majors.

Ramirez might lose out to teammate Shane Bieber for the award, but I think his day-to-day contributions both offensively and defensively have made him even more important for his team than their ace pitcher.

Runners-up: Shane Bieber (Indians), Jose Abreu (White Sox)

NL Most Valuable Player: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

While Fernando Tatis Jr. looked to be running away with the NL MVP trophy just a few weeks ago, long-time superstar Freddie Freeman now looks to be the best pick for the league’s best player, which would give him his first MVP trophy.

Freeman has been the best offensive player in baseball (minimum 200 PA) according to wRC+ (185) and is posting an insane .457 on-base percentage along with 12 home runs and 51 RBI for baseball’s best offense, statistically. The Braves have overcome pitching struggles to win their division for a third straight season, and Freeman has been the straw that has stirred the drink for his team.

Runners-up: Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)

The post Predicting the MLB MVP and Cy Young Races appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Baseball season is just around the corner, with the beginning of the MLB season just starting in April.

The National League is set to be a competition filled with powerhouse teams and star players. The Washington Nationals, the surprise winners of the league and the World Series last season, have a strong roster, but do they have one of the league’s top MVP candidates?

Let’s take a look at the top three NL MVP candidates for the 2020 season.

Christian Yelich, Brewers

The 2018 NL MVP finished in second place in a close vote for the 2019 award, coming in just behind Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger. He looks to be one of the favorites for this year’s award.

The outfielder batted .329 last season with 44 home runs and 97 RBI despite only playing in 130 games due to injury. Expect more big production from the California native, who just agreed to a 9-year, $215 million extension with his team, in 2020. A great eye at the plate and a power surge that coincided with his trade from the Marlins to Milwaukee has turned him into one of the top players in the league, and expect his production to continue in 2020.

Mookie Betts, Dodgers

The biggest trade of the 2019-20 MLB offseason sent perennial All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, establishing a new big star in the National League.

Betts and Yelich were named MVPs in the same season, with the Nashville native having won the award in the American League during his tenure in Boston. A move to Los Angeles places the talented outfielder in the middle of a stacked lineup, which should lead him to drive in even more runs than he has in previous seasons.

Expect Betts to compete for the hardware in his first year as a Dodger.

Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

Acuña is one of the top young stars in baseball. The Braves center fielder was exceptional in 2019 at the ripe age of 21, finishing the year with 41 long balls and 37 stolen bases.

Expect the young Venezuelan talent to continue his rise in 2020 for a team that looks to contend for a World Series title. Acuña improved his plate discipline in the 2019 season, a development that led him to post a higher-than-expected .365 on-base percentage along with his power production.

Power-speed combinations like Acuña’s are rare in today’s game and don’t be surprised if his gaudy home run and stolen base totals lead him to compete for the MVP Award.

The post NL MVP Candidates to Keep an Eye on in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has won the National League Most Valuable Award for the 2019 season, it was announced on Friday.

Bellinger edged out Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich for the award, receiving 19 first-place votes as opposed to Yelich’s 10 for the recognition as the league’s best player.

It was a banner season for the 24-year-old Bellinger, who led the Dodgers to the best record in the National League. The dynamic hitter produced a fantastic .305/.406/.629 batting line on the year, smashing 47 home runs and racking up 115 RBIs on the season in 156 games.

Bellinger also got points for his contributions on the basepaths, stealing 15 bases, and as an above-average defender both in the outfield and at first base over the course of the year.

It’s the second major award that Bellinger adds to his trophy case after winning the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season only a couple of years ago.

Despite falling in the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals in unexpected fashion, Bellinger and the Dodgers are expected to be back at full force next season and to compete for the World Series crown.

The post Cody Bellinger Takes Home 2019 NL MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The brilliance that Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. showed in the 2023 MLB campaign has been recognized in an unprecedented way. Both players won the MVP honors in their respective leagues by unanimous vote, something that never happened in the history of the award.

Ohtani captured his second AL MVP award and became the first MVP winner in the history of MBL to do it unanimously twice. Texas Rangers’ duo Corey Seager and Marcus Semien finished second and third in the voting, respectively.

Ohtani, who is a free agent this offseason, batted .304 with an AL-leading 44 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 135 games. The two-way phenom also made 23 starts as a pitcher, posting a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

Acuna Jr., on the other hand, had a historic season that saw him hit 41 homers and get 73 stolen bases. This made him the only player in league history to have more than 40 home runs and 46 stolen bases in a single season. He also had a batting average of .337, which was second-best in the entire MLB behind Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Bets finished second in NL MVP voting, receiving all 30 second-place votes, while his teammate Freddie Freeman finished third.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Win Unanimous MVP Honors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

With the shortened MLB season coming to a close after just over two months of action, the races to decide the Most Valuable Players and Cy Young Award winners in both leagues are finally wrapping up.

Despite the 60-game slate, there have been plenty of pitchers and position players who have stood out in what will undoubtedly be a season for the history books.

Let’s predict the winners of the league’s top awards!

AL Cy Young: Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians

The easiest award to hand out will be the AL Cy Young Award, where one player laps the rest of the competition: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber.

Bieber is third in baseball in innings pitched, first in ERA, first in strikeouts, and has compiled an outstanding 8-1 record to push the Indians to yet another playoff berth. At just 25 years old, you can bet that this won’t be the only time that Bieber will be in the race for a pitching prize like this.

Runners-up: Kenta Maeda (Twins), Dylan Bundy (Angels)

NL Cy Young: Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs

The NL Cy Young Award might be the tightest awards race in all of baseball. While there are other deserving candidates, the ace of a Chicago Cubs team that has led them to first place in their division despite pre-season doubts in an enormous comeback season is my pick: Yu Darvish.

Darvish has returned to his prime form this season, posting a minuscule 2.22 ERA in 11 starts for the Cubs. He has maintained an excellent 88:13 strikeout to walk ratio and kept opposing batters from making hard contact. This will be a close vote, but the Japanese ace is my pick to dethrone Jacob deGrom, who also has a real shot at winning.

Runners-up: Jacob deGrom (Mets), Trevor Bauer (Reds)

AL Most Valuable Player: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

No one would have expected Jose Ramirez to be the leader in contention for the AL MVP at this point a month ago, but a blistering hot final stretch to the season has led the Dominican infielder to 2nd place in the Major Leagues in home runs (17) and the sixth-best wRC+ in the league (158) for an Indians’ offense he helped ignite. Not only that, but he’s been one of the best defensive third basemen in the Majors.

Ramirez might lose out to teammate Shane Bieber for the award, but I think his day-to-day contributions both offensively and defensively have made him even more important for his team than their ace pitcher.

Runners-up: Shane Bieber (Indians), Jose Abreu (White Sox)

NL Most Valuable Player: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves

While Fernando Tatis Jr. looked to be running away with the NL MVP trophy just a few weeks ago, long-time superstar Freddie Freeman now looks to be the best pick for the league’s best player, which would give him his first MVP trophy.

Freeman has been the best offensive player in baseball (minimum 200 PA) according to wRC+ (185) and is posting an insane .457 on-base percentage along with 12 home runs and 51 RBI for baseball’s best offense, statistically. The Braves have overcome pitching struggles to win their division for a third straight season, and Freeman has been the straw that has stirred the drink for his team.

Runners-up: Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)

The post Predicting the MLB MVP and Cy Young Races appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Baseball season is just around the corner, with the beginning of the MLB season just starting in April.

The National League is set to be a competition filled with powerhouse teams and star players. The Washington Nationals, the surprise winners of the league and the World Series last season, have a strong roster, but do they have one of the league’s top MVP candidates?

Let’s take a look at the top three NL MVP candidates for the 2020 season.

Christian Yelich, Brewers

The 2018 NL MVP finished in second place in a close vote for the 2019 award, coming in just behind Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger. He looks to be one of the favorites for this year’s award.

The outfielder batted .329 last season with 44 home runs and 97 RBI despite only playing in 130 games due to injury. Expect more big production from the California native, who just agreed to a 9-year, $215 million extension with his team, in 2020. A great eye at the plate and a power surge that coincided with his trade from the Marlins to Milwaukee has turned him into one of the top players in the league, and expect his production to continue in 2020.

Mookie Betts, Dodgers

The biggest trade of the 2019-20 MLB offseason sent perennial All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, establishing a new big star in the National League.

Betts and Yelich were named MVPs in the same season, with the Nashville native having won the award in the American League during his tenure in Boston. A move to Los Angeles places the talented outfielder in the middle of a stacked lineup, which should lead him to drive in even more runs than he has in previous seasons.

Expect Betts to compete for the hardware in his first year as a Dodger.

Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves

Acuña is one of the top young stars in baseball. The Braves center fielder was exceptional in 2019 at the ripe age of 21, finishing the year with 41 long balls and 37 stolen bases.

Expect the young Venezuelan talent to continue his rise in 2020 for a team that looks to contend for a World Series title. Acuña improved his plate discipline in the 2019 season, a development that led him to post a higher-than-expected .365 on-base percentage along with his power production.

Power-speed combinations like Acuña’s are rare in today’s game and don’t be surprised if his gaudy home run and stolen base totals lead him to compete for the MVP Award.

The post NL MVP Candidates to Keep an Eye on in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger has won the National League Most Valuable Award for the 2019 season, it was announced on Friday.

Bellinger edged out Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich for the award, receiving 19 first-place votes as opposed to Yelich’s 10 for the recognition as the league’s best player.

It was a banner season for the 24-year-old Bellinger, who led the Dodgers to the best record in the National League. The dynamic hitter produced a fantastic .305/.406/.629 batting line on the year, smashing 47 home runs and racking up 115 RBIs on the season in 156 games.

Bellinger also got points for his contributions on the basepaths, stealing 15 bases, and as an above-average defender both in the outfield and at first base over the course of the year.

It’s the second major award that Bellinger adds to his trophy case after winning the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season only a couple of years ago.

Despite falling in the National League Championship Series to the Washington Nationals in unexpected fashion, Bellinger and the Dodgers are expected to be back at full force next season and to compete for the World Series crown.

The post Cody Bellinger Takes Home 2019 NL MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.