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Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will finish in the top three in voting for the National League MVP award in 2023, giving the Dodgers two players in the top three for the award for the first time in 49 years.
The Baseball Writers Association of America on Monday announced the “finalists” for its four awards, though the term is a misnomer as the voting concluded before the postseason began. “Finalists” in this case really mean “top-three finishers” for each honor.
Betts, Freeman, and Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. are the top three finishers for National League MVP, which is another way of saying Betts and Freeman will finish second and third for the award in some order.
MVP winners will be announced on Thursday, November 16.
This is the ninth time in franchise history that the Dodgers have at least two players in the top three of NL MVP voting, and the first since Steve Garvey won the award in 1974 with pitcher Mike Marshall in third place.
Two Dodgers in top-3 of NL MVP voting
| Year | Players |
|---|---|
| Year | Players |
| 1924 | SP Dazzy Vance (1st), LF Zack Wheat (t-3rd) |
| 1941 | 1B Dolph Camilli (1st), CF Pete Reiser (2nd), SP Whit Wyatt (3rd) |
| 1953 | C Roy Campanella (1st), CF Duke Snider (3rd) |
| 1955 | C Roy Campanella (1st), CF Duke Snider (2nd) |
| 1956 | SP Don Newcombe (1st), SP Sal Maglie (2nd) |
| 1962 | SS Maury Wills (1st), LF/3B Tommy Davis (3rd) |
| 1965 | SP Sandy Koufax (2nd), SS Maury Wills (3rd) |
| 1974 | 1B Steve Garvey (1st), RP Mike Marshall (3rd) |
| 2023 | RF/2B Mookie Betts (TBD), 1B Freddie Freeman (TBD) |
The standout year of this group was in 1941, when pennant-winning Brooklyn had the top three vote-getters — first baseman Dolph Camilli won the award, followed by center fielder Pete Reiser and pitcher Whit Wyatt.
Of the first eight times the Dodgers had two or more players in the top three in MVP voting, a Dodger won the award seven times. In 1965, Sandy Koufax finished second and Maury Wills was third, with the great rival Willie Mays winning the award.
Betts and Freeman aren’t the only Dodgers whose names will be mentioned next week.
James Outman is among the top three in NL Rookie of the Year voting, an award that will almost certainly go to Diamondbacks star outfielder Corbin Carroll. Outman rewarded the Dodgers faith in him by overcoming a first-half slump to hit .248/.353/.437 with 23 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and a 118 wRC+ with above-average defense in center field.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is the other top-three finisher for NL Rookie of the Year. The ROY awards will be revealed on Monday on MLB Network.
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