The MVP awards were announced yesterday, with Paul Goldschmidt taking home the National League honor and Aaron Judge taking home the American League one. The AL voting went as expected, with Judge garnering every first-place vote outside of the Los Angeles area (28 out of 30). The NL was a bit more scattered, with the Cardinals’ first basemen getting 22 first-place votes and the other eight going to Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado. The outcomes went as expected, including multiple Braves receiving MVP votes. Austin Riley finished sixth in the voting, Dansby Swanson was 12th, and Michael Harris finished 13th. Here is the full breakdown of votes:
- Riley: five 5th-place votes, nine 6th-place votes, six 7th-place votes, four 8th-place votes, two 9th-place votes, and one 10th-place vote.Â
- Swanson: two 8th-place votes, five 9th-place votes, and seven 10th-place votes.
- Harris II: one 6th-place vote, one 8th-place vote, and one 10th-place vote.
Riley was a first-time All-Star this season, and rightfully so. He was an absolute monster for most of the 2022 campaign before tapering off at the end of the season. On the year, the recently extended Riley posted an .878 OPS thanks to his 38 home runs. If he had maintained his pace, he might have had a legitimate chance at winning the award.
Swanson had a career year, earning his first Gold Glove and All-Star honors. He was the leader in the clubhouse and equally reliable in the box, posting a .776 OPS with 25 long balls and 18 stolen bags. Swanson is an integral part of this team, and Braves Country hopes the front office and his representatives hammer out a new deal.
Harris garnering MVP consideration is fantastic because he truly deserves it. He had as good of numbers as anyone who received votes; the sample size just wasn’t large enough to make a valid argument. Harris earned Rookie of the Year honors for his electric first year in baseball. He showed the tools that made him such a highly coveted prospect — hitting for power, contact, swiping bags, covering the entire outfield, throwing runners out… he did it all. He deserves this moment as much as anyone.
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Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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