Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout named league MVPs

Dodgers first baseman and outfielder Cody Bellinger and Angels outfielder Mike Trout on Thursday were named the Most Valuable Players for their leagues.

Bellinger is the 12th Dodger to receive the National League MVP Award, and the first since it went to Clayton Kershaw in 2014. Bellinger, 24, is a two-time All Star, who had 47 home runs in 2019. Over 156 games, he batted .305. He received 19 of the 30 first place votes, and 10 second place votes. "There wasn't one part of his game he didn't dominate," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in a statement.

Trout received the American League MVP Award, an honor he has now won three times. Trout, 28, was just 23 when he earned his first league MVP Award, becoming the youngest player in history to be named MVP by a unanimous vote. He received 17 of the 30 first place votes. In 2019, he played in 134 games, ending the season with a career-high 45 home runs and batting .291.

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Trout now joins the ranks of Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Fox, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, and Mike Schmidt — the only Major League Baseball players to win three or more MVP awards. Trout is "one of the greatest players that I've ever laid my eyes on, and one of the better people I've also been around inside this game," Angels general manager Billy Eppler told the Los Angeles Times. "Great ambassador, total role model."