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Boston Red Sox: Mookie Betts in good company as MVP runner-up

By Sean Penney

Sep 28, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) runs to first base after hitting an two run double against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) runs to first base after hitting an two run double against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Jacoby Ellsbury

The most recent Red Sox player to finish second in MVP voting was Jacoby Ellsbury in 2011, who finished behind Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Apparently writers had gotten over their concerns with voting for pitchers by that point.

The star center fielder showed uncharacteristic power that season, blasting 32 home runs – which to this day is double what he’s produced in any other season. Ellsbury hit .321/.376/.552, all of which were career-highs, but he didn’t lead the league in any major category beyond plate appearances and total bases. He finished second in the league with an 8.0 WAR in a relatively weak crop of hitters that season, which helped open the door for Verlander to steal the award as a pitcher.

Three years later Ellsbury would parlay that mammoth season into a lucrative contract with the New York Yankees, one they would soon regret after realizing 2011 was a clear outlier.

He did have another strong season in his final year in Boston in 2013, serving as a key cog in another championship season, but finished only 15th on the ballot that year and hasn’t received any votes for the award since.

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