Baseball roundup: Angels' Trout, Cubs' Bryant win MVPs
Chicago — While the Angels stumbled, Mike Trout soared.
Just too good to ignore.
Trout won the American League MVP award Thursday for the second time in three years, and Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was voted National League MVP in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
While the Angels finished fourth in the American league West, Trout was his usual brilliant self. The center fielder hit .315 with 29 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 steals. He scored 17 percent of Los Angeles’ runs, the highest percentage for an AL player since Rickey Henderson with the 1985 Yankees.
Trout, who was a unanimous winner in 2014, had finished second in three of the past four years. He becomes the first MVP from a losing team since Alex Rodriguez for the Rangers in 2003 and just the fifth player to accomplish the feat, joining Hall of Famers Ernie Banks (1958 and 1959), Andre Dawson (1987) and Cal Ripken (1991).
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Trout said. “Just trying to get better every year.”
Bryant hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs in just his second year in the majors, helping the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908.
The No. 2 overall pick from the 2013 draft becomes just the sixth player to win rookie of the year and MVP in one or consecutive seasons.
McCosky: Cy Young vote exposes glitch in balloting system
“Kris is just an impressive young man in every aspect,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said. “(He) is very mature, professional, light-hearted, but serious at the same time. He’s just kind of a dream player for any organization.”
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera tied for ninth in AL voting.
Around the horn
The Yankees traded catcher Brian McCann and $11 million to the Astros for minor-league right-handers Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman.
... Commissioner Rob Manfred says the sport plans to study some high-profile baseball operations positions because only three of baseball’s 30 teams are managed by minorities.
... Lew Wolff is selling all but a small stake in the A’s and giving up his managing partner role, turning over leadership of the franchise to John Fisher.