NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Chicago Cubs third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant won the American League and National League Most Valuable Player Awards, respectively, on Thursday in voting by Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Trout beat out the Boston Red Sox's Mookie Betts and the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve to win his second AL MVP Award.
He is the first player in history to finish in the top two in MVP voting in each of his first five full seasons in the majors. Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds are the only other players in baseball history to finish in the top three in MVP voting in five straight years.
Trout was a runner-up to the Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera in both 2012 and 2013. But Trout was a unanimous choice as AL MVP in 2014 and finished second to Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson last season.
Trout won the award even though his team did not reach the playoffs. He hit .315 with 29 homers and 100 RBIs. He led the American League in both walks (116) and on-base percentage (.441).
He is considered among the best defensive outfielders as well, and is often considered the best all-around player in the game.
Bryant was nearly a unanimous selection in the National League, beating out Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy and the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager.
Bryant spent most of his time at third base, and he is the first third baseman to win the award since Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones did it in 1999.
Bryant was the NL Rookie of the Year last season, and the 23-year-old improved his numbers this season while leading the Cubs to the best regular-season record in the majors and the Cubs' first World Series title since 1908.He hit .292 with 39 homers and 102 RBIs this season.
BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Boston Red Sox right-handeder Rick Porcello was named the 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
At 22-4 (.846), Porcello led the majors in wins and ranked second in winning percentage behind Toronto's Aaron Sanchez (.882, 15-2). The 27-year-old became the 17th pitcher ever to win as many as 22 games in a season for the Red Sox, the first to do so since Martinez went 23-4 in 1999. Porcello began the season with a 20-3 record, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history to win at least 20 of his first 23 decisions.
Porcello's honor is the seventh Cy Young Award in Red Sox history. Porcello is only the fourth Boston pitcher to earn the honor, joining Jim Lonborg (1967), Roger Clemens (1986, 1987, 1991), and Pedro Martinez (1999, 2000). He received eight of 30 first-place votes and totaled 137 points, finishing ahead of Detroit's Justin Verlander (132 points) and Cleveland's Corey Kluber (98 points).
After going 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA for the Red Sox in 2015, Porcello led the majors in 2016 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.91 and ranked among American League leaders in ERA (5th, 3.15), WHIP (2nd, 1.01), innings pitched (4th, 223.0), opponent batting average (6th, .230), strikeouts (8th, 189), complete games (T-3rd, 3), and walks per nine innings (2nd, 1.29). His 26 quality starts were the second-most in the American League, as well as the second-most by any Red Sox pitcher in the live ball era (since 1920), trailing only Roger Clemens' 27 in 1990.
The Red Sox went 25-8 in Porcello's career-high 33 starts, including 17-3 in his final 20 outings. He was 8-0 during a stretch of 13 starts from May 22-July 29, the longest win streak of his career. In 17 starts against American League East opponents, Porcello was 11-2 with a 3.28 ERA (43 ER/118.0 IP) and a 7.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Each of his final 10 outings against the division was a quality start (beginning June 28), as he went 7-1 with a 2.63 ERA (21 ER/72.0 IP) in those games.
BOSTON – (Staff report from Official News Release) – Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts received the 2016 American League Rawlings Gold Glove Award for right field, Rawlings announced tonight on ESPN. The Gold Glove honors the best defenders at each position in each league. Major League managers and coaches, voting only within their league and unable to vote for players on their own teams, account for 75 percent of the selection process; the Sabermetrics community accounts for the other 25 percent.
This marks the first career Gold Glove Award for Betts, who led American League outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage, committing only one error in 361 total chances. At only 24 years old, he is the youngest Red Sox player to win a Gold Glove Award at any position since Fred Lynn earned the honor in 1975 as a 23-year-old outfielder.
According to FanGraphs, Betts' 32 defensive runs saved in 2016 were 10 more than any other player at any position. He was a part of four double plays—tied for most among major league outfielders—and recorded 14 assists, second-most among right fielders behind only Adam Eaton (15). The only other Red Sox player since 1960 to record as many as 14 assists as a right fielder is Dwight Evans, who reached that total four times.
Voted the starting right fielder in the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, Betts made each of his 157 regular-season starts at the position, more than any other major leaguer this season. He also led all right fielders in innings (1,381.2) and putouts (346) in 2016.
This is the 44th Gold Glove Award in Red Sox history—earned by 21 different players—since the award's inception in 1957. Betts is the 10th Red Sox player to win a Gold Glove Award as an outfielder, joining Shane Victorino, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ellis Burks, Dwight Evans, Fred Lynn, Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith, Jackie Jensen, and Jimmy Piersall.
The Red Sox have earned at least one Gold Glove Award in seven of the last 12 seasons (since 2005), totaling 10 awards in that time. Prior to Betts, the club's last honoree was Dustin Pedroia in 2014.
PHOENIX – (wire Service Report) – The Arizona Diamondbacks will name Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as their new manager, according to multiple reports. Lovullo, 51, has spent the last four seasons with the Red Sox as manager John Farrell's bench coach. Lovullo served a 49-game stint as Boston's interim manager during the 2015 season when Farrell went on medical leave to undergo treatment for lymphoma. Under Lovullo, the Red Sox went 28-21. Lovullo returned to his job as bench coach in 2016 and the Red Sox won the American League East.
Lovullo was at the top of the Diamondbacks' list as soon as general manager Mike Hazen was hired in mid-October. Hazen was general manager of the Red Sox but did not have final say over baseball operations with Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations. Hazen replaced Dave Stewart, who was fired by Arizona at the end of the season along with manager Chip Hale. Hazen had been with Boston since 2006 and was on the staff of two World Series championship teams in 2007 and 2013.
Primarily a second baseman, Lovullo played parts of eight seasons in the major leagues from 1988-99. He retired from playing after spending the 2000 season with the Yakult Swallows in Japan.
Lovullo started his minor league managing career in the Cleveland Indians organization in 2002. His record as a minor league manager was 661-609.
The Diamondbacks have scheduled a press conference on Monday to introduce Lovullo.
· The club exercised its 2017 contract option on right-handed pitcher Clay Buchholz.
· As a formality, the club also exercised its 2017 contract option on designated hitter David Ortiz, who is still expected to retire this offseason.
· The club declined its 2017 contract option on catcher Ryan Hanigan, who will become a free agent.
· Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, outfielder/catcher Blake Swihart, and right-handed pitchers Carson Smith and Brandon Workman were reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.
Additionally, infielder Josh Rutledge was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket.
Buchholz, 32, went 8-10 with a 4.78 ERA (74 ER/139.1 IP) in 37 appearances (21 starts) for the Red Sox in 2016. From July 27 through the remainder of the season, the right-hander was 5-1 with a 2.80 ERA (17 ER/54.2 IP) and a .212 opponent batting average (41-for-193). Buchholz's final appearance of the regular season came on September 28 at Yankee Stadium, where he allowed only one hit in 6.0 scoreless innings. He was dealt the loss in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Indians at Fenway Park, allowing two earned runs in 4.0 innings. An American League All-Star in 2010 and 2013, Buchholz is the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox pitching staff, having appeared in the major leagues in each of the last 10 seasons.
Hanigan, 36, batted .171 (18-for-105) in 35 games this season, missing 52 team games due to a pair of stints on the disabled list. The Red Sox went 21-9 in his starts, including 19-4 from April 22 through August 4. Acquired from the San Diego Padres in exchange for third baseman Will Middlebrooks on December 19, 2014, Hanigan appeared in 89 games over two seasons with the Red Sox, batting .219 (61-for-314) and throwing out 16 of 58 (28%) attempted base stealers. Originally signed by Cincinnati as a non-drafted free agent in 2002, the Andover, MA native has played in 647 games with the Reds (2007-13), Tampa Bay Rays (2014), and Red Sox (2015-16).
Sandoval, 30, was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain on April 13 (retroactive to April 11), ending his season after just three games. He underwent successful surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder on May 3 in Pensacola, FL, and was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on May 6. The three-time World Series champion has played 998 career games between San Francisco (2008-14) and the Red Sox (2015-16), batting .287 (1,061-for-3,691) with 441 runs scored, 217 doubles, 20 triples, 116 home runs, and 509 RBI.
Swihart, 24, was limited to 19 games with Boston due to a left ankle sprain suffered on June 4. The switch-hitter finished 16-for-62 (.258) with nine runs, three triples, five RBI, 11 walks, and a .365 OBP. After making six starts at catcher in his first major league stint of the year, Swihart returned to the club on May 20 and played his remaining 13 games in left field, committing no errors in 31 total chances before the injury ended his campaign. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on July 9 and underwent left ankle surgery on August 15 at Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, NC.
Smith, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners on December 7, 2015, missed the majority of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 24 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY. The 27-year-old right-hander began the regular season on the 15-day disabled list with a right flexor muscle strain. After being reinstated on May 3, Smith pitched in three games for the major league club, allowing no earned runs over 2.2 innings before returning to the disabled list with right elbow soreness on May 20. The Texas native has a 2.00 ERA (18 ER/81.0 IP), 13 saves, and 104 strikeouts in 82 major league games between Seattle (2014-15) and Boston (2016).
Workman, 28, spent this season on the disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on June 15, 2015. He returned to minor league action on July 5 on a rehab assignment and finished 0-2 with a 7.65 ERA (17 ER/20.0 IP) in 10 rehab appearances over the course of the season between the Rookie-level GCL Red Sox, Short-A Lowell, and Double-A Portland. The 2013 World Series champion has 39 games of regular season major league experience (18 starts), going 7-13 with a 5.11 ERA (73 ER/128.2 IP) and 117 strikeouts. He has not appeared at the major league level since 2014.