Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp Pass Peer Review With Flying Colors

Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp will have to wait another few weeks to see how they were ranked by baseball writers, but on Thursday each were honored by their peers. In the MLB Players Choice Awards, voted on by major league players, Kershaw won Most Outstanding National League Pitcher, while Kemp won Most Outstanding National League Player.

Kemp is the first Dodger to win NL Outstanding Player, which has been awarded since 1993. Kershaw is the second Dodger to win NL Outstanding Pitcher, joining Eric Gagne in 2003. Gagne also won the NL Cy Young Award that season, the last Dodgers pitcher to do so.

Kershaw beat out fellow finalists Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies and Ian Kennedy of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kemp beat out fellow finalists Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers and Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kemp and Kershaw are the third set of teammates to win the outstanding player and pitcher awards, joining Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright with the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals, Barry Bonds and Jason Schmidt with the 2004 San Francisco Giants.

In addition, manager Don Mattingly was honored on Thursday with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the MLB Players Association.

Previous Dodgers Players Choice Award Winners

Outstanding Pitcher: Eric Gagne (2003)

Outstanding Rookie: Raul Mondesi (1994), Todd Hollandsworth (1996)

Comeback Player: Nomar Garciaparra (2006)