In 2015, Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado set an all-time major league record for extra-base hits by a third baseman. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)
My BFFs on Twitter had a grand time bashing me for my NL MVP voting. That’s fine, we’re all entitled to our opinions — even beat writers who cover the Rockies.
Like everyone else, I voted for the Nationals’ Bryce Harper as my No. 1. The 23-year-old’s incredible season made him the youngest unanimous MVP in baseball history.
Harper beat out fellow finalists Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds for the award. He tallied 420 points to finish 186 points ahead of Goldschmidt, who finished second. Please remember that we cast our votes before the three finalists were revealed.
Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado finished eighth, about where I thought he would finish. I knew he wouldn’t make the top five, though I believe he should have.
For the record, Arenado was third on my ballot. I was one of four writers to pick him third. Why did I do it?
* Watching him play nearly every day, I was able to see how valuable he was to his team. His fielding, an underrated element of the MVP voting in my opinion, was sensational and inspiring. In the age of shifting infields, and with the Rockies employing the shift much more than ever before, Arenado was a force on the left side of the infield.
* Arenado tied Harper for the NL lead with 42 homers. Of those homers, 22 came away from Coors Field.
* He led MLB with 89 extra-base hits and 354 total bases, and also tied for second in the NL with 43 doubles.
* His 89 extra-base hits were the most in MLB history by a third baseman.
* Arenado’s 56 hits with runners in scoring position led the majors, which led to his MLB-best 130 RBIs. He drove in 56 runs on the road.
* He finished second in the NL with a .373 batting average with runners in scoring position.
For the record, here is how I voted:
1. Harper
2. Jake Arrieta
3. Arenado
4. Zack Greinke
5. Clayton Kershaw
6. Paul Goldschmidt
7. Yoenis Cepedes
8. Andrew McCutchen
9. Buster Posey
10. Joey Votto
Tags: Bryce Harper, Jake Arrieta, Joey Votto, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt
