To conclude the 2018 MLB award announcements, MLB announced the 2018 MVP Awards on Thursday evening. After having the best campaign of their young careers, outfielders Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox and Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers were named the American League and National League Most Valuable Players.
Betts helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series title, and was easily the most electric position player in the American League this season. In total, he hit 32 homers and stole 30 bases.
In his first year with the Brewers, Yelich helped lead the team to a 96 win season and a spot in the NLCS. He went on a tear in the second half, and hit a career-best 36 home runs.
Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich capture AL and NL MVP Awards
Mookie Betts
Betts was absolutely outstanding this year for the Red Sox. He lead the majors with an incredible .346 batting average. The 26-year old also led the American League with 129 runs scored and a .640 slugging percentage. According to Fangraphs, Betts had a 10.4 WAR which was the highest across the bigs. That mark was also the highest for a position player since Barry Bonds had an 11.8 WAR in 2002.
The speedy outfielder was a sparkplug for the World Series champs at the top of their lineup all year long. Betts finished second in the AL with 47 doubles, and a .438 on-base percentage. He beat out two-time MVP, Angels star Mike Trout in this years race.
Betts was extremely instrumental as part of the best outfield trio in baseball. He had five assists and finished fourth in the big leagues with 20 defensive runs saved, per Fangraphs.
Betts is the first Red Sox player to win an American League MVP since Dustin Pedroia back in 2008. He also won a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger award last week.
Christian Yelich
Yelich was a vital reason the Brewers captured the most wins in the National League this season. The power-hitting outfielder led the NL with a .326 average and a .598 slugging percentage. He also went yard 36 times, and drove in 110 runs on the season. Yelich was also a threat on the base paths, as he stole 22 bases on the season.
Yelich was always a decent hitter in Miami, but it’s not till he arrived at Miller Park that he went on this type of offensive tear. He hit a major-league high .367 in the second half of the year and clubbed 25 of his 36 homers after the All-Star break. Unfortunately, he struggled in the postseason, hitting under .200, even though Milwaukee advanced all the way to the NLCS, losing to the Dodgers in seven games.
Overall, it was a year for the record books. Yelich was one of the most feared hitters in the league all season long and was awarded as the MVP. He became the first Brewer to capture a Most Valuable Player award since teammate Ryan Braun won it in 2011, also the last time Milwaukee made the playoffs before their historic run this year.
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