Dan Connolly

Manny Machado fifth, Zach Britton 11th in AL MVP vote

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado finished fifth and closer Zach Britton placed 11th in the American League MVP voting that was announced Thursday.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout won for the second time in three years – he’s finished first or second in each of the past five seasons – with Boston’s Mookie Betts second, Houston’s Jose Altuve third and Toronto’s Josh Donaldson fourth.

Machado was named on all 30 ballots submitted by select members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He received five fourth-place votes, seven fifths, nine sixths, four sevenths, three eighths and one each for ninth and 10th.

It is the second highest MVP finish of his five-season career. Machado was fourth in the voting in 2015.

Britton, who finished fourth in the 2016 AL Cy Young voting, garnered six votes and 11 total points for MVP, the first time he’s ever received a MVP vote. He had one eighth-place vote, three for ninth and two for 10th. Voters must include 10 players on their ballot.

No other pitcher received more than one AL MVP vote; AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello didn’t receive any MVP votes.

Mark Trumbo, who led the majors in home runs, wasn’t named on any ballots.

This was my first time voting for AL MVP (I was not permitted to vote in my 11 seasons as an employee of The Baltimore Sun) and it certainly wasn’t an easy one.

I’ll detail the reasoning behind each of my 10 choices tomorrow morning, but for full Orioles’ disclosure, I had Machado fifth and Britton ninth.

Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly has spent more than two decades as a print journalist in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate first covered the Orioles as a beat writer for the York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record in 2001 before becoming The Baltimore Sun’s national baseball writer/Orioles reporter in 2005. He has won multiple state and national writing awards, including several from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2013 he was named Maryland Co-Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. And in 2015, he authored his first book, "100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." He lives in York, with his wife, Karen, and three children, Alex, Annie, and Grace.

View Comments

Boog Robinson Robinson says:

November 18, 2016 at 7:02 am

Ya know .... It just DOESN'T make sense that a guy gets 6 times as many MVP votes as any of the Cy Young finalists received, while the eventual winner didn't garner ANY!!

In one case you're saying that he wasn't worthy of being the Cy Young winner because he didn't pitch enough, and yet on the other hand, his 60 whatever innings were more valuable than the other 3 guys 200+ innings. I'm so confused.

Is it simply a case of different writers have different votes or does this indicate that writers are as every bit as fickle as the fans?
- Dan Connolly says:
  
  November 18, 2016 at 8:58 am
  
  I think it is different writers with the different votes. But that wouldn't have helped Britton in Cy Young. Too many people think the award should go to a starter almost always.