Morneau Defeats Jeter For American League MVP

Justin Morneau quietly produced numbers all year in Minnesota, leading the Twins to the Central Division Title, on Tuesday, Morneau was rewarded for his efforts by being named the American League's Most Valuable Player.

Morneau was considered to be a longshot for the award because of the big seasons that big market players posted, Derek Jeter in New York, and David Ortiz in Boston, but in the end the Baseball Writers' Association of America rewarded perhaps the most deserving candidate.

Morneau was the most consistent force in the Twins offense this season as he hit .321 with 34 homers and 130 RBI's. Jeter, who finished second, had a .344 with 14 homers and 97 RBI's. He also finished only three points behind Joe Mauer for the AL batting title.

The voting was the 16th closest in league history as Morneau finished with 15 first place votes, eight seconds, three thirds and two fourths for 320 total points. Jeter had 12 firsts, 14 seconds, one fourth, and one sixth for 306 points.

Ortiz finished in third in the voting with 193 points and probably would have won if he had stayed healthy and the Red Sox not faded in the American League East.

Frank Thomas, who experienced a rebirth of his career in Oakland this year, finished fourth with 174.

Chicago White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye finished fifth with 156 votes.

Teammates in Minnesota Mauer and Johan Santana finished sixth and seventh with 116 and 114 points respectively. The Twins, a small market team had three players in the top seven in the voting.



2006-11-21