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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw Wins NL MVP

For the first time since 1968, a pitcher has won both the Cy Young and the MVP awards. The last one to do so was Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals. Clayton Kershaw joins Bob Gibson and the other Dodgers left-handed legend, Sandy Koufax.

Kershaw received 18 out of 30 first place votes. Giancarlo Stanton came the closest, in second place with eight first-place votes, and Andrew McCutchen came in third place with just four first-place votes. When counting stats, you’d assume that Giancarlo Stanton was the best candidate for MVP as he smashed 37 home runs and 107 RBIs and was with no doubt, more than most valuable to the 77-85 Marlins.

However, while not a “declared rule” but better described as an “unwritten rule”, players who play for a team who don’t make the playoffs are likely not winners of the MVP award. Matt Kemp knows all about that rule as it is what held him back from an MVP award of his own in 2011, when Ryan Braun took it and later got tested positive for PED use. Kemp led Braun in almost every category but because the Dodgers didn’t make the playoffs and the Brewers did. In similarity, in 2013, Paul Goldschmidt also didn’t win the MVP due to this playoff rule.

Although this may have been a factor to Giancarlo not winning it, Kershaw was more than phenomenal this season by finishing with an astonishing record of 21-3, with a 1.77 ERA, leading the league in both, and also had 247 strikeouts. I might add that Kershaw was only limited to 27 starts as he missed a little over a month of the MLB season with back injury.

Kershaw has now not only won three Cy Young awards in four years but he now has an NL MVP to add to that trophy collection, and a well deserved one. There’s no doubt that Kershaw is most valuable to his Dodgers. It’s rare to say that a pitcher who only plays every five games can carry a team, but it’s hard to say the Dodgers would have still won the NL West pennant without Kershaw’s leadership and skill. With a 2011 Gold Glove award in his trophy case as well, Kershaw shows that he not only pitches amazingly, but also fields and is decent with the bat. I mean really, Kershaw truly does it all.

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