Houston Astros’ second baseman Jose Altuve and Miami Marlins’ outfielder Giancarlo Stanton took home the MVP awards of their respective leagues.
Altuve batted a league-leading .346 during the regular season. He led the league in hits for the fourth straight season, pacing the American League with 204 hits.
Altuve showed power for the second straight year, crushing 24 home runs and driving in 81 runs. Routinely hitting in the third spot of the Astros’ order, Altuve proved to be the catalyst of one of the league’s best offenses, and helped lead Houston to its first World Series title.
On the other hand, Stanton crushed an MLB-leading 59 home runs and drove in 132 runs. Stanton played in his most games since 2011, and went on a hot streak in August that included him crushing 17 home runs.
While the Marlins missed the playoffs, Stanton still stood out to be among MLB’s best players, and narrowly won the award over Reds’ 1B Joey Votto.
