Carlos Gonzalez’s clean sweep of postseason awards ended just short of the National League Most Valuable Player award this afternoon.
Gonzalez earlier in the offseason was voted Players Choice awards as the top player in the National League and the major leagues, and also picked up a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award. But in the end, the Baseball Writers Association of America chose Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in a landslide as the MVP of the league.
Votto finished first in the voting, with 31 of the 32 first-place votes, followed by St. Louis’ Albert Pujols. CarGo finished third, two spots up from teammate Troy Tulowitzki.
Said Gonzalez, when asked about the prospect of winning the award by the Venezuelan newspaper Meridiano: “Votto helped his team to reach the playoffs after 15 years of drought for Cincinnati, which gives him enough merit. … I gave my best without a doubt. That doesn’t mean I don’t value what Albert and Joey did. I know they deserve it as much as I do.”
Why did Gonzalez fall short in his quest for the MVP? Votto’s huge season — .324-37-113 with a league-leading .424 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage — spoke for itself, but there also was the Coors Field factor.
Gonzalez won the batting title and finished .336-34-117, but his home-road splits no doubt caught the attention of voters. He hit .380-26-76 in Denver, .289-8-41 on the road.
Said Atlanta’s Chipper Jones, when CarGo was chasing the Triple Crown late in the season: “If (Gonzalez) is doing the same thing on the road that he’s doing at home, I’d be glad to give him credit. And he’s a tremendous player, don’t get me wrong. But the numbers? He’s hitting like .390 at home with 25 homers and 65 (RBI)?”
Said Votto, when asked during the Triple Crown chase if he thought Coors Field gave CarGo an advantage: “I’d rather not comment on that.”
Coors Field or no Coors Field, Gonzalez enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in Rockies history, leading the league in hitting, hits (197) and extra-base hits (351). Tulowitzki, meanwhile, had arguably his best season despite missing 40 games, 33 after a broken left he sustained when hit by a pitch in mid-June.
Tulo set a major league record with 40 RBIs in September as the Rockies crept to within a game-and-a-half of the N.L. West lead, only to lose 13 of their final 14 games.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
