Despite having more home runs, RBI and steals, Matt Kemp was at home in October watching the playoffs on TV while Ryan Braun was in the NLCS, and that apparently has made all the difference.
The Brewers left fielder won the National League Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday with 20 of 32 possible first-place votes.
Kemp, who was statistically neck and neck with Braun, only received 10 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
"Braun's win over Kemp was also an affirmation that team success matters to BBWAA voters in trying to define the meaning of 'valuable,'" wrote MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
Despite coming up short in the MVP race, Dodger fans can take comfort knowing Kemp is going to be wearing Dodger blue for the foreseeable future. Last week, the team announced a record-setting $160-million, eight-year contract extension.
Dodgers fans had hoped a Kemp MVP award would bring a second post-season honor amid a season of upheaval in the Dodgers front office. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw won the NL Cy Young Award last week.
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