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Angels' Trout has career-worst finish in MVP voting

Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Since playing in his first full season in 2012, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout has made his mark as one of baseball's best.

In fact, no player has come close to matching him in WAR (53.7) over that time. Because of his dominance at the dish, Trout had a streak of five straight seasons finishing either first or second in MVP voting.

That luminous run ended in 2017. He wasn't even among the three finalists, being edged out by Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez for third place.

Trout's season was abbreviated by a finger injury that limited him to only 114 games. That combined with the Angels' failure to make the postseason may have suppressed his influence on the ballot.

Still, despite the short stack of games played, Trout led the American League in OBP (.442), SLG (.629), OPS (1.071), and wRC+ (181). He finished sixth in batting average (.306), 12th in home runs (33), eighth in stolen bases (22), and third in WAR (6.9).

It may not have been enough to become a finalist, but he did finish fourth in voting. Had he not missed time, Trout would likely have made it very difficult for BBWA members to choose an alternative.

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