Cleveland first baseman Anthony Rizzo has won the North League Most Valuable player for a season that saw him hit 43 home runs and lead the PGBL in on-base percentage and OPS.
The 25-year-old Rizzo, in his third full season with the Tribe, hit .292 with a .390 OBP and a .546 slugging percentage. He scored 108 runs to rank third in the NL and drove in 93.
Rizzo had four first-place votes, one more than Calgary’s Edwin Encarnacion, and totaled 92 points. Six different players topped the 11 submitted ballots.
Encarnacion, who led all hitters with 47 homers, and London RBI champ Jose Abreu tied for second with 74 points, two more than 2014 MVP Mike Trout of Chicago.
Abreu, Trout, the Roughnecks’ Victor Martinez and Ottawa’s Michael Brantley, who won the NL batting title, had the other firsts.
Rizzo became the third Cleveland slugger to win the NL MVP, following David Ortiz in 2008 and Lance Berkman in 2012.
Voting totals (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Anthony Rizzo, Cleveland (4) …… 92
2. Edwin Encarnacion, Calgary (3) ….74
(tie) Jose Abreu, London (1) …………74
4. Mike Trout, Chicago (1) …………..72
5. Troy Tulowitzki, Pittsburgh ………..61
6. Victor Martinez, Calgary (1) ……….55
7. David Ortiz, Chicago ……………….44
8. Michael Brantley, Ottawa (1) ……..39
9. Nelson Cruz, Vancouver ……………27
10. Denard Span, Ottawa …………….12
11. Matt Adams, British Columbia ……..9
12. Matt Kemp, Cleveland ……………..7
13. Justin Turner, Calgary ……………..6
14. Marcel Ozuna, Cleveland …………..4
(tie) Chris Sale, Vancouver …………….4
16. Corey Dickerson, Calgary ………….3
17. Buster Posey, Brooklyn ……………..1
North League Most Valuable Players
2003 – Barry Bonds, Brooklyn
2004 – Barry Bonds, Brooklyn
2005 – Barry Bonds, Brooklyn
2006 – Alex Rodriguez, Vancouver
2007 – Ryan Howard, Boston
2008 – David Ortiz, Cleveland
2009 – Ryan Braun, Pittsburgh
2010 – Joe Mauer, Chicago
2011 – Adrian Gonzalez, Vancouver
2012 – Lance Berkman, Cleveland
2013 – Ryan Braun, Pittsburgh
2014 – Mike Trout, Chicago
2015 – Anthony Rizzo, Cleveland