The results of the 2021 American League and National League MVP races were revealed on Thursday, and the San Francisco Giants were well represented on the NL side.
In total, four different Giants players received at least one vote.
The MVP award is a regular-season honor, so it makes sense that the 107-win Giants had a handful of players in the mix.
Here are the four San Francisco stars who earned votes.
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Crawford was the leading vote-getter for the Giants.
He finished fourth in the race, and he even received four first-place votes.
The 34-year-old had arguably the best season of his career in 2021.
He slashed .298/.373/.522 with a 141 OPS+.
He homered 24 times, doubled 30 times, and tripled three times.
Brandon Crawford hit a BOMB
(via @SFGiants) pic.twitter.com/OdiE84fZOw
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) April 10, 2021
The three-time All-Star also racked up a bWAR of 6.1, which was likely a huge factor in his strong finish in the MVP race.
A good chunk of that WAR was accumulated on defense, as posted a 1.3 defensive bWAR.
Impressively, he also registered a Defensive Runs Saved of 7.
He earned Gold Glove honors as a result of his strong defensive campaign.
The two-time World Series champ was going to become a free agent this offseason, but San Francisco inked him to a two-year extension before the 2021 campaign ended.
That looks like a smart decision right now.
LaMonte Wade Jr.
LaMonte Wade Jr. (and everyone else remaining on this list) received only a single MVP vote, but that’s still a nice accomplishment.
And although it’s just one vote, it’s really the biggest accomplishment of Wade’s MLB career so far.
The 2021 season was Wade’s first year at the pro level in which he appeared in more than 26 games.
He played in 109 contests.
The results were great, as he posted an OPS of .808 and OPS+ of 117.
He smacked 18 home runs, 17 doubles, and three triples along the way.
The future is bright for the University of Maryland product.
Kevin Gausman
Next up, we’ve got Kevin Gausman, whose stellar 2021 season was enough to land him a handful of votes in the Cy Young race and a vote in the MVP race.
The 30-year-old, who is now a free agent, just had a career year.
Over 33 starts, he maintained a 2.81 ERA, 145 ERA+, 3.00 FIP, and 1.04 WHIP.
He fanned 227 batters in 192 innings of work, giving him a nine-inning strikeout rate of 10.6.
His 5.4 bWAR was a nice touch, too.
The market for Gausman will likely be very competitive this winter.
In due time, we’ll see if he ends up back with the Giants in 2022 or if his time with San Francisco has come to end.
Buster Posey
The final vote-getter for the Giants: Buster Posey.
The 34-year-old recently announced his retirement, marking the end of a legendary career.
He went out with a bang in 2021, as he batted .304 with an OPS of .889 and OPS+ of 140.
The should-be Hall of Famer blasted 18 homers and 23 triples, and he needed just 113 games to do so.
Career home run No. 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ for Buster Posey 👏👏👏
This three-run shot puts the Giants up 5-2 over the Dodgers.
🎥: @SFGiantspic.twitter.com/XPCSnBWHZz
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 29, 2021
He also had a 3.5 bWAR.
Posey, who won an MVP award back in 2012, finishes his career having received MVP votes in seven of his 12 seasons.
We could talk all day about everything the three-time champ accomplished during his playing days, but let’s just say this: Posey has a lot to be proud of.
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