Well deserved.
The very last business of the 2024 MLB season was wrapped up on Thursday, when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BWAA) revealed the 2024 AL and NL Most Valuable Players. And the San Francisco Giants were represented, as third baseman Matt Chapman finished 11th in NL MVP voting.
It capped off a brilliant debut Giants season for Chapman, who had one of the best seasons of his career, earned MVP shares for the first time since 2019, and capped off the campaign by signing a six-year extension. Not bad at all!
A day after it was announced that Logan Webb finished sixth in Cy Young voting, the BBWA unveiled the full MVP ballots. As with the other awards, 30 media members are given ballots for NL MVP, with two writers from each chapter of the league. But unlike with other awards, MVP voters are allowed to vote for 10 names. Chapman appeared on 10 of the 30 ballots, earning one third-place vote, two sixth-place votes, two seventh-place votes, two eighth-place votes, two ninth-place votes, and one 10th-place vote.
The full ballots, which you can see here, show how every media member voted. The two representatives from the San Francisco chapter, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle and Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News voted for Chapman in seventh and ninth, respectively.
While Chapman’s vote shares are exciting, the MVP voting in general was rough for the Giants. Their primary target last offseason, Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, was the unanimous winner in the National League, while their primary target the prior offseason, the Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, was the unanimous winner in the American League. Right idea, wrong execution.
The names between Ohtani and Chapman in NL voting were, in order, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, Brewers catcher William Contreras, Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, Braves pitcher Chris Sale, Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill, and Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.
Congrats on putting a bow on a brilliant season, Chappy. Here’s to many more.