Angels Player Doesn't Get MVP Vote for First Time in a Long Time in 2024

The Angels surprisingly have done well in this award recently.

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

No Los Angeles Angels player received a single vote in the American League MVP race this season. This is the first time since 2011 that no Angels player has earned at least one point in the race for MVP, per Jeff Fletcher.

The Angels have seen either center fielder Mike Trout or former two-way star Shohei Ohtani finish in the top-five of the AL MVP race in each of the last seasons since 2011. Since Ohtani departed for the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason and Trout played in only 29 games because of a torn meniscus, the Angels did not have a player that played up to the level needed to garner votes. With the Angels going a franchise worst 63-99 over the 2024 season, it's not hard to understand how they were overlooked in the MVP award voting.

More Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Has Officially Tied Angels' Mike Trout in MVP Awards

Given that the Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, it's pretty remarkable that Trout and Ohtani did so well in the MVP race season after season, with Trout winning three AL MVP awards and Ohtani winning two MVP awards during their time with the Angels. Ohtani did go on to win his third MVP award with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 after becoming the first player in MLB history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

If any player were to have earned MVP votes for the Angels in 2024, it likely would have been Taylor Ward or Zach Neto. Ward and Neto led the Angels in nearly every hitting category this season, and were two of the bright spots for the Angels during a bleak season.

Instead, New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge finished as the unanimous AL MVP with 30 first-place votes. Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. finished in second place unanimously, and Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (third), Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson (fourth), and Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez (fifth) rounded out the top-five of the voting.

If Trout returns to his typical standard of play and can stay healthy for the majority of the season — a big if — then there is a decent chance the Angels will have a player representing the team in the top-five of the AL MVP race again.