Red Sox Mookie Betts, Angels Mike Trout on track for greatest MVP race
2001 NL MVP Race
MVP Winner: Barry Bonds
MVP Runner-Up: Sammy Sosa
| Name | PA | HR | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Def | fWAR | bWAR |
| Barry Bonds | 664 | 73 | 13 | .328 | .515 | .863 | 235 | -12 | 12.5 | 11.9 |
| Sammy Sosa | 711 | 64 | 0 | .328 | .437 | .737 | 186 | -1.1 | 9.9 | 10.3 |
| Total | 1375 (4th) | 137 (1st) | 13 (10th) | .328 (9th) | .475 (5th) | .798 (1st) | 210 (2nd) | -13.1 (13th) | 22.4 (2nd) | 22.2 (2nd) |
Total Score: 67
This might be the most eye-popping MVP race by raw numbers in the history of baseball. Two, two, players hit 137 home runs. That is the most ever by two players in a single season.
Bonds, of course, broke the home run record this season and Sosa became the only player ever with three 60 home run seasons.
At the time, Bonds was clearly on his way to an inner circle Hall of Fame career anyways. But in 2001, Bonds started his second act which, PEDs or not, resulted in possibly the most impressive career numbers of any player in the modern history of baseball. These are numbers we will almost certainly never see again in our lifetimes and it’s still absolutely mind-boggling to look back on. The steroid era may have been regrettable as a whole, but boy did it leave behind some fun results.