Mets third baseman David Wright was seventh and first baseman Carlos Delgado was ninth in NL Most Valuable Player voting announced today, behind winner Albert Pujols of the Cardinals.
Pujols won by a comfortable margin over Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard. Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun was third and Los Angeles outfielder Manny Ramirez came in fourth after playing two months with the Dodgers.
“There were so many candidates,” Pujols said on a conference call from his home in St. Louis. “I’m happy I didn’t have to make that decision.”
Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs despite playing much of the season with a sore right elbow. The Cardinals finished fourth in the NL Central.
The St. Louis baseman got 18 of the 32 first-place votes. He also won the award in 2005.
Wright batted .302 with 33 home runs and 124 RBIs (second in the NL). The 25-year-old batted over .300 for the third straight season and won his second consecutive Gold Glove.
Delgado’s second-half surge also had pushed him into serious contention for the award, but the Mets’ failure to make the playoffs hurt both players’ chances.
The 36-year-old finished with 38 home runs (third in the NL) and 115 RBIs, batting .271 in 159 games. His season took off after Willie Randolph was fired in mid-June, batting .303 with 21 homers after the All-Star break.
Delgado was hitting .229 on June 27.
He hit .340 in September, but the Mets failed to protect a 3½ game lead over the Phillies in the NL East and were knocked from the playoffs with a last-day loss to the Marlins.
Mets pitcher Johan Santana was 14th, center fielder Carlos Beltran was 21st, and shortstop Jose Reyes was 24th.
No Mets player ever has won NL MVP.
Tom Seaver was second in 1969 to Willie McCovey of the Giants; Keith Hernandez was second in 1984 to Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs; Gary Carter was third behind Mike Schmidt of the Phillies in 1986; Darrly Strawberyy was second and Kevin McReynolds was third in 1988 to Kirk Gibson of the Dodgers; Strawberry was third in 1990 to Barry Bonds of the Pirates; and Mike Piazza was third in 2000 to Jeff Kent of the Giants.
Voting for the National League Most Valuable Player Award, with first-, second- and third-place votes and total points based on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis
Player; 1st; 2nd; 3rd; Total
Albert Pujols, St. Louis 18 10; 2; 369
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia 12; 8; 6; 308
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee -; 2; 3; 139
Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles -; 2; 4; 138
Lance Berkman, Houston -; 2; 4; 126
CC Sabathia, Milwaukee -; 4; 5; 121
David Wright, Mets -; 2; 1; 115
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia 2; -; 2; 104
Carlos Delgado, Mets -; -; 5; 96
Aramis Ramirez, Chicago -; -; -; 66
Hanley Ramirez, Florida -; -; -; 55
Chipper Jones, Atlanta -; 1; -; 44
Geovany Soto, Chicago -; -; -; 41
Johan Santana, Mets -; 1; -; 30
Chase Utley, Philadelphia -; -; -; 30
Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis -; -; -; 17
Brandon Webb, Arizona -; -; -; 14
Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego -; -; -; 13
Matt Holliday, Colorado -; -; -; 13
Prince Fielder, Milwaukee -; -; -; 11
Derrek Lee, Chicago -; -; -; 10
Carlos Beltran, Mets -; -; -; 10
Tim Lincecum, San Francisco -; -; -; 9
Jose Reyes, Mets -; -; -; 3
Jose Valverde, Houston -; -; -; 3
Stephen Drew, Arizona -; -; -; 2
Nate McClouth, Pittsburgh -; -; -; 1
With AP