DJ LeMahieu Being Left off AL MVP Ballot is a Shame

It's fair to wonder what exactly the BBWAA were thinking when they announced the finalists for AL MVP.

Mike Trout and Alex Bregman were obvious choices, as the former remains an all-world talent whose season was cut short by an unfortunate injury, while the latter led his team to the best record in the American League and the precipice of a World Series title.

Yet, it's LeMahieu who was very clearly the odd man out, and whose tremendous season should not be forgotten anytime soon, especially considering the price Brian Cashman was able to sign him at in a very cold free agent winter.

This isn't to downplay the accomplishments of one Marcus Semien, who helped lead the A's to a playoff appearance in his own right.

Hell, normally it'd be so very New York elitist to just assume LeMahieu deserves to be on the ballot while ignoring Semien. But in this case, in a year the Yankees were decimated by injuries and arguably faced more obstacles than any other team in baseball, LeMahieu stands out as an obvious second-or-third place finisher in the MVP race. His numbers speak for themselves.

Such complete and utter blasphemy will remind Yankee fans of the time Justin Morneau narrowly beat out Derek Jeter for the award in 2006.

LeMahieu may not have won the game's greatest individual honor, but he sure deserves the secondary accolade of being in the conversation. Shame on MLB.