Great stats or a great bat on a playoff team? The voters went with the player from the playoff team.
Ryan Braun, who picked up 20 of the 32 first-place votes to win the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player award, has been a consistent bat in the Brewers' lineup since his rookie season in 2007, when he was named NL Rookie of the Year. Braun led the NL in slugging (.597) and OPS (.994) as the Brewers won the NL Central and advanced to the National League Championship Series. He's the first NL MVP from the Brewers - Robin Yount was the last MVP from the team, from when Milwaukee was an American League franchise.
The Dodgers' Matt Kemp, who finished a strong second, had his best season, and was named to the NL All-Star team for the first time. He was third in the league in hitting at .324 and led the league in homers (39) and RBI (126) while playing for a third-place team. He also stole 40 bases.
Albert Pujols finished fifth in the voting, continuing an incredible streak. He's been in the top eight in MVP voting in all 11 seasons he's played in the majors.
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