Mike Trout becomes an MVP finalist for his 5th straight season

Mike Trout becomes just the 3rd player in MLB history to finish in the top 3 in MVP voting for 5 years in a row.  The other two?  Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds.

Other contenders for the coveted MVP award are Mookie Betts (no surprise), and Jose Altuve.  Thankfully, David Ortiz did not make the top 3 so apparently there is hope.  In the past 30 season, there are only been 7 times a 9+ WAR player did not receive the MVP award and three of them were Mike Trout.  If he loses the award again this year, he'll have been snubbed as much as all other guys combined.

In case we need to re-hash the case yet again for why Mike Trout deserves this honor, let's look at some facts:

1. Nearly became a 2-time 30/30 player by stealing 30 bases and hitting 29 homeruns
2. Led the league in WAR (again) - and for the 5th straight year
3. Had a stat line of .313/.441/.550
4. Was fifth in batting average
5. Tied for second in stolen bases
6. Second in OPS
7. First in walks
8. First in runs scored
9. His plate discipline allowed him to see more pitches than ANYONE in baseball
10. One of only 3 AL players to hit 100RBIs and score 100 Runs

Of course everyone knows that the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) loves MVP candidates that come from playoff teams which would leave only one choice (Betts).  Baseball writers are told that the MVP does not need to come from a playoff team, but the stigma is there.  Couple that with the Angels forgettable and horrendous season, and many of them will have a tough time voting for Trout.  BUT, if they look objectively at the numbers and much impact each player had on their team, the choice is clear.  The Angels may have been lucky to win 65 games without Mike Trout, but the Red Sox lineup was stacked with talent which artificially inflates the perceived value of Betts, without whom the Red Sox likely would still have made a playoff run.

Will Mike Trout get snubbed again?  We'll find out in a couple of weeks!