Dodgers’ outfielder Cody Bellinger was named the National League MVP two years after he won the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year.
Bellinger is the 18th former NL Rookie of the Year winner (2017) to go on to win an MVP Award, most recently Kris Bryant (Rookie of the Year in 2015, MVP in 2016). There have been nine American League Rookie of the Year winners who also were MVPs, including Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001, the only players to win both awards in the same season. Included in those lists are two players who won the awards in alternate leagues: Frank Robinson (NL Rookie of the Year in 1956, AL MVP in 1966) and Dick Allen (NL Rookie of the Year in 1964, AL MVP in 1972).
This year marks the 13th time a Dodgers player has been honored. The others: Roy Campanella three times (1951, 1953, 1955), Dolph Camilli in 1941, Jackie Robinson in 1949, Don Newcombe in 1956, Maury Wills in 1962, Sandy Koufax in 1963, Steve Garvey in 1974, Kirk Gibson in 1988 and Clayton Kershaw in 2014.
This election marked the ninth time in NL MVP voting that the previous year’s winner finished as the runner-up. Christian Yelich, who won this award last year, joins a list that features Albert Pujols, who had it happen twice, in 2006 and 2010, as well as Chuck Klein in 1933, Dizzy Dean in 1935, Stan Musial in 1949, Barry Bonds in 1991, Terry Pendleton in 1992 and Ryan Braun in 2012. There have been eight such cases in the AL: Jimmie Foxx in 1939, Hal Newhouser in 1946, Ted Williams in 1947, Joe DiMaggio in 1948, Yogi Berra in 1956, Don Mattingly in 1986, Jason Giambi in 2001 and Mike Trout in 2015.
Bellinger’s election increases to 13 the amount of times a right fielder has won the NL award. The others were the Cardinals’ Stan Musial in 1943 and ’48, the Phillies’ Chuck Klein in 1932, the Braves’ Henry Aaron in 1957, the Reds’ Frank Robinson in 1961, the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente in 1966, the Pirates’ Dave Parker in 1978, the Cubs’ Andre Dawson in 1987, the Rockies’ Larry Walker in 1997, the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa in 1998, the Nationals’ Bryce Harper in 2015 and the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton in 2017. A right fielder has won in the AL 11 times.
Bellinger, Yelich, Anthony Rendon, Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuña Jr. were listed on every ballot.
Ballots, submitted before the start of the postseason, were cast by two writers in each league city. They are tabulated on a system that rewards 14 points for first place, nine for second, eight for third on down to one for 10th.
2019 NL MVP
| Player, Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Bellinger, Dodgers | 19 | 10 | 1 | 362 | |||||||
| Christian Yelich, Brewers | 10 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 317 | ||||||
| Anthony Rendon, Nationals | 1 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 242 | |||||
| Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks | 3 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 198 | |||||
| Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves | 1 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 155 | |||
| Nolan Arenado, Rockies | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 120 | ||
| Pete Alonso, Mets | 2 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 102 | ||||
| Freddie Freeman, Braves | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 90 | ||
| Juan Soto, Nationals | 1 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 45 | ||||||
| Jacob deGrom, Mets | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 44 | ||||
| Josh Donaldson, Braves | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 27 | |||||
| Trevor Story, Rockies | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 26 | |||||
| Jack Flaherty, Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |||||||
| J.T. Realmuto, Phillies | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||
| Yasmani Grandal, Brewers | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| Max Muncy, Dodgers | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
| Stephen Strasburg, Nationals | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||
| Eugenio Suarez, Reds | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Kolten Wong, Cardinals | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| Kevin Pillar, Giants | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Max Scherzer, Nationals | 1 | 1 |
View individual ballots on separate page
"It's what you dream of man, for sure."
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 15, 2019
An emotional @cody_bellinger on winning the @officialBBWAA NL MVP award. @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/hOGY67sP47