yahoo
Andy Pages, the Los Angeles Dodgers' center fielder, appeared on a National League MVP ballot for the first time in his career, capturing a single sixth-place vote in this year's voting. He was the only Dodgers player other than Shohei Ohtani to receive any MVP consideration.
During the 2026 campaign, Pages enjoyed his finest season to date, accumulating a career-high 6.0 bWAR over 134 games, a mark that placed him 15th across Major League Baseball. He slugged 23 home runs, drove in 85 runs, and posted an .811 OPS. His most productive stretch came in April and May, when he launched 12 of his 23 homers and collected more than half of his season's RBI total.
Defensively, Pages excelled in center field, recording a plus-13 fielding run value and 10 outs above average, both figures ranking within the top 5% of the league. His first-half performance earned him his inaugural All-Star selection.
Despite those strong numbers, Pages missed most of the final month after suffering a hand fracture when he was hit by a pitch, an absence that may have limited the number of votes he could have garnered. The third-year outfielder was also a Gold Glove finalist and is expected to receive consideration for the NL Silver Slugger award in center field, though the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong claimed the Gold Glove and is likely to win the Silver Slugger as well during his MVP season.
Key Analysis
While Pages' defense remains his standout skill, he has demonstrated considerable offensive potential over the past two seasons. Players who accumulate high WAR totals tend to fare well in major award voting, as Crow-Armstrong illustrated this season. Crow-Armstrong won the MVP unanimously after hitting 45 home runs with a .943 OPS, yet his numbers from the previous year were fairly comparable to Pages' 2026 output. If Pages can make a similar leap forward, ruling out a future major award would be difficult, especially considering he is only 25 years old.
Originally reported by yahoo.