Cabrera, McCutchen win MVP awards

Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen and Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera won baseball's Most Valuable Player awards. Center fielder McCutchen was named National League MVP after leading the Pirates to their first winning record and post-season appearance since 1992. That was also the year Barry Bonds was the last Pirate to earn MVP honors. "I'm very happy. If I could get up and dance right now I would," McCutchen said on MLB Network after the award was announced. "But I don't have enough room to do that. When we get off camera, I probably will." For Tigers slugger Cabrera, the honor is more familiar. He nabbed the American League MVP for the second year in a row, again beating Angels outfielder Mike Trout. McCutchen won in a landslide over Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, receiving 28 of the 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who finished third, got the other two first-place nods. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis -- who prevented Cabrera from earning a second straight batting Triple Crown -- finished third in AL voting after leading the majors with 53 home runs and 138 runs batted in. It was the third AL MVP in a row to go to a Detroit player. Pitcher Justin Verlander won it in 2011. Cabrera received 23 first-place votes and Trout had five. McCutchen's 185 hits and .404 on-base percentage both ranked third in the National League. He belted 21 homers, with 84 RBI and batted .317. The Pirates went 94-68 to finish second in the NL Central division behind St. Louis, who beat them in the playoffs. Cabrera received 385 points. Trout got five first-place votes, 19 second-place votes and had 282 points. Between April and August, Cabrera had 43 home runs, 130 RBI and was hitting .358 before he was hobbled by a groin injury. Source: AFP