Astros: Alex Bregman finishes fifth in AL MVP voting

The American League MVP voting is in, and it might not be quite what Astros fans had hoped for.

The AL MVP voting was released, and unsurprisingly resulted in Boston’s Mookie Betts winning the award. Betts had long been the favorite thanks to his 10.9-WAR season. Meanwhile, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman finished fifth in the voting.

Bregman garnered one second-place vote, four third-place votes, 10 fourth-place votes and nine fifth-place votes. Teammate Justin Verlander finished 10th in the voting, and last season’s MVP Jose Altuve finished tied for 13th.

Strong Season for Bregman

Bregman became the first Astro to post a 30-homer, 100-RBI season since Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman did it in 2007. His 96 walks were the most for an Astro since Berkman drew 97 walks in 2009, and his 51 doubles were the team’s most since Berkman smacked 55 in 2001. He was undoubtedly the best hitter on the team this season.

He led the majors with those 51 doubles this season, while he finished fifth in the league in RBIs and third in walks. Among players receiving MVP consideration, Bregman’s .926 OPS was fifth, training only the four players ahead of him in the voting.

Bregman carried the team offensively at times when other stars such as Carlos Correa, George Springer and Altuve dealt with injuries or subpar performances. He may not have put up monster numbers in comparison to Betts or Mike Trout, but he was certainly deserving of the consideration.

Verlander and Altuve Make Appearances Too

Verlander finished second in the Cy Young Award voting and also made a top-10 finish in the MVP balloting as well. He notched 16 wins with a 2.52 ERA and led the league in strikeouts with 290. His 0.90 WHIP was bested only by Boston’s Chris Sale, who failed to qualify for the ERA title.

Altuve’s numbers took a dive thanks to some injury issues, as he failed to notch his fifth straight 200-hit campaign. Still, he posted an excellent .316/.386/.451 slash line over 137 games, good for 5.2 WAR and a Silver Slugger award. That performance was enough to earn a tie for 13th in the MVP voting.

Could we again see three Astros garner MVP consideration in 2019? It’s certainly a possibility if these three players, as well as Correa, remain healthy.