On Thursday, November 14 the MLB announced the winners of both the National League and American League Most Valuable Player Awards for the 2013 season. Each year the awards are voted upon by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and this time around the decisions were fairly unanimous in both leagues.
The week’s announcements are always an annual focal point for baseball bettors everywhere, as some look to cash in on the MLB futures bets they made prior to and during the season.
The lucky names this year were Miguel Cabrera of the American League and Andrew McCutchen of the National League.
Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers hot shot and 2012 Triple Crown winner, posted a .348 batting average with 44 home runs and 137 RBIs. It was a strong follow up performance to his MVP win in 2012. The last time a player repeated the feat two seasons in a row in the AL? 1994.
McCutchen, on the other hand, posted excellent numbers as well. With 21 homers, 84 RBIs and a .317 average, the Pittsburgh Pirates player and three-time All-Star got the job done in 2013. McCutchen packs plenty of star power in his already dazzling resume, with 2 Silver Slugger Awards and a 2012 Golden Glove Award to keep his MVP award company in the McCutchen trophy case.
McCutchen was also the first Pirates player to bring home the award since Barry Bonds did so in 1992.
The AL runner up was Mike Trout with 5 first place votes, while the NL MVP was followed not-so-closely by Paul Goldschmidt and Yadier Molina.
The annual awards always spur much debate amongst fans and media, but it’s hard to argue with this year’s decisions. For instance, Andrew McCutcheon’s numbers weren’t extraordinary, but he was an irreplaceable part of this past season’s Pirates team.
And like those futures bettors who have been cashing in this week, it’s all about the value.
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