1. #1
    bigboydan
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    Albert Pujols won National League MVP award

    Andruw Jones deserved this honor alot more than pujols did. jones carried that team all year long, and stepped it up bigtime when chipper jones got hurt and, all there was were a bunch of rookies.

    NEW YORK (AP) -- Albert Pujols won his first National League MVP award, beating Andruw Jones in a close vote Tuesday.

    The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman received 18 first-place votes and 14 seconds for 378 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jones, the Atlanta Braves center fielder, got 13 first-place votes, 17 seconds and two thirds for 351 points.

    Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee got the other first-place vote and was third with 263 points.



    Pujols was second in the NL with a .330 average, five points behind Lee, and hit 41 homers, trailing only Jones (51) and Lee (46). Pujols tied for second in RBIs with 117, 11 behind Jones.

    Just 25 years old, Pujols has put up remarkable statistics in his first five major league seasons, averaging 40 homers and 124 RBIs to go along with a .332 average.

    He was third behind Barry Bonds and Adrian Beltre in last year's MVP voting after finishing fourth as a rookie in 2001 and second to Bonds the following two seasons. Bonds missed most of this year with a knee injury after winning the award four straight times to increase his total MVPs to a record seven.

    Jones led the major leagues in home runs for the Braves, and batted .263. He has won eight straight Gold Gloves.

    The Cardinals led the majors with 100 wins this season and breezed to the Central title. Pujols was the driving force on a team that lost Scott Rolen and other key players to injuries.

    Atlanta went 90-72 and winning its 14th straight division championship. Jones was the only Braves player with more than 21 homers or 78 RBIs.

    Pujols, who gets a $200,000 bonus, won the 15th MVP award for the Cardinals, the first since Willie McGee in 1985.

    By finishing third, Lee triggered a $750,000 increase in his next 2006 base salary to $8.75 million.

    Florida first baseman Carlos Delgado, who was sixth, earned five points toward the 30 he needs by the end of 2008 to guarantee a $16 million salary in 2009. He would get 10 points for winning the MVP, 20 if he is a World Series MVP and 10 if he is a league championship series MVP.

  2. #2
    onlooker
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    No surprise here.

  3. #3
    Illusion
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    Both players were great dan. You could basicly toss a coin between those two as to who was the best.

  4. #4
    Senator7
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    Another good call here. Pujols deserved this award. The only help Pujols had in the lineup was over the hill guys like Walker, Edmonds, and Sanders. These guys are shadows of their former selves. If Andruw wasn't so lazy, he'd have a couple MVP awards already.

  5. #5
    bigboydan
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    senator, thats my point exactly. albert had bats both in front and behind him batting. jones didn't. plus, jones had 6 rookies on the team hitting in that lineup and, chipper was hurt part of the season.

  6. #6
    moses millsap
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    I think Andruw Jones should have won it. His defense in CF is amazing and as BBD said, he had very little support on that team for most of the year.

  7. #7
    Senator7
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    Give St. Louis those "rookies" and they probably would have gone to the World Series. I would take Francoeur and McCann over the dinosaurs in St. Louis any day of the week.

  8. #8
    moses millsap
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    Quote Originally Posted by Senator7
    Give St. Louis those "rookies" and they probably would have gone to the World Series. I would take Francoeur and McCann over the dinosaurs in St. Louis any day of the week.
    You got something against dinosaurs?

    This vote was a lot closer in my mind than the AL vote (I think A-rod should've won by a much bigger margin), but I still prefer Jones in this virtual coin flip.

  9. #9
    Senator7
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    Its a good thing for Andruw that this vote is taken before the postseason because it wouldn't have been close after Pujols hit that game winning homer off Lidge in the NLCS. Even though they lost the Series, that's still one of the greatest, most clutch hits I've ever seen.

    The only problem I have with dinosaurs is when they get to the age where their reputation is greater than their actual ability. Walker (now retired), Edmonds, and Sanders are in the twilight of their careers and provide little lineup protection for Pujols. I would be more afraid of Francoeur or McCann than I would any of these over the hill guys.

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