Coming off one of the best individual seasons in Los Angeles Dodgers history, Cody Bellinger was named a finalist for the 2019 National League MVP Award. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon round out the top-three voting for NL MVP.
Bellinger is the first Dodgers player to be named an MVP finalist since Corey Seager in 2016. In 156 games during the regular season, Bellinger hit .305/.406/.629 with 121 runs scored, 34 doubles, 47 home runs, 115 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 20 attempts.
He posted a career-best 9.0 WAR (Baseball-Reference) and set many franchise records, including most home runs hit at Dodger Stadium in a single season.
One year removed from winning the 2018 NL MVP, Yelich followed up his performance with another worthwhile effort. He led the NL in many categories, including batting average (.329), on-base percentage (.429), slugging percentage (.671), on-base plus slugging (1.100) and OPS+ (179).
Yelich also scored at least 100 runs for a third consecutive year while adding 29 doubles, three triples, a career-high 44 home runs, 97 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 580 plate appearances (130 games). His season was unfortunately cut short in mid September after fracturing his kneecap on a foul ball.
An All-Star for the first time this season, Rendon enjoyed a productive 2019 campaign that culminated with the Nationals winning their first World Series in franchise history.
He led the NL in doubles (44) and RBI (126), hitting an overall .319/.412/.598 with 117 runs scored, 34 home runs and 80 walks across 646 trips to the plate (146 games).
After a career year at the plate, Rendon now enters free agency for the first time in his career. The Dodgers are expected to be one his many suitors and reportedly could entice him with a record-setting, short-term contract offer.
As Bellinger vies for NL MVP honors, it’s worth noting that he has already taken home other hardware this offseason. Last week, Bellinger earned a pair of 2019 Fielding Bible Awards for his defensive efforts, and on Sunday, won his first career Gold Glove Award in right field. He revealed that winning a Gold Glove had always been a longtime goal of his.
MVPs for the American League and NL will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. PT on MLB Network.
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