Which MVP Award finalist had the best single-game performance?
Tonight, we'll find out the winners of the 2016 Most Valuable Player Awards. But before that happens, we want to know who you think should win each award. To that end, let's take a look back at the best games from each MVP finalist this season:
3-for-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, HR
This game began with a bang, when Altuve hit the third of his six leadoff homers on the season. But that was just the start: In the third inning, he broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double and came around to score later in the inning. Another double in the fifth led to Altuve's third run on the day of a game the Astros won, 7-4.
2-for-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR
There isn't really a scientific process to name the best games on a season -- Betts had two three-homer games this year, which one could easily argue were actually his best games of the campaign. The reason we selected this two-homer day at Camden Yards instead is simple: The Red Sox defeated the Orioles, 5-3, and all five runs were scored by Betts' two homers. Throughout the season, Betts put up absolutely tremendous numbers against the division-rival Orioles, posting a 1.293 OPS over 19 games.
2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, IBB
In the bottom of the sixth, the Angels were trailing 2-1 when Trout stepped to the plate to face Mariners pitcher
Those are the AL candidates -- who is your pick?
5-for-5, 4 R, 6 RBI, 3 HR, 2 2B
For many of these candidates, it was difficult to narrow down and identify just one terrific game -- not the case for Bryant. The performance he put on against the Reds at the end of June was one of the best you'll ever find from a hitter. It was just the 15th time in MLB history that a player racked up 16 or more total bases in a nine-inning game and the first since
Bryant's performance in this game was also the only one on this list that also received a nomination for an Esurance MLB Award -- and you can vote for that award here, if you so choose.
2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, HR, 2B
On Opening Day, Murphy made his debut with the Nationals and made an impact straight away. He hit a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning, but his true heroics came later in the game. With the game knotted at 3 in the 10th, Murphy delivered the game-winning RBI double to leave the Nationals feeling great about their new second baseman.
3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR, 3B
The final game broadcast at Dodger Stadium by Vin Scully would have been a disappointing loss were it not for the National League's Rookie of the Year. Seager first delivered a game-tying triple in the bottom of the seventh:
Then, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he dug in against the Rockies'
The next inning, Seager's teammate
So, who is your NL MVP pick?
