Pujols Tabbed As NL's MVP
Howard batted only .251 with 199 strikeouts but led the majors with 48 home runs and 146 RBI. In September, he batted .352 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI, propelling the Phillies to the NL East title.
Braun, whose candidacy was hurt by a tough September (.208, three homers, 11 RBI) in which he played with a ribcage injury, finished a distant third with 139 points. The 2007 NL rookie of the year batted .285 with 37 home runs and 106 RBI and led the league with 83 extra-base hits.
Ramirez played in only 53 games with the Dodgers after being acquired from Boston but batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBI, leading Los Angeles past Arizona to claim the NL West title.
Houston first baseman Lance Berkman was next, followed by Sabathia, who received credit for his impressive work during his half-season with the Brewers. In 17 starts, Sabathia was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and led the NL with seven complete games.
Sabathia beat Chicago on the final day of the season to send the Brewers to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years.
"You see what Sabathia did for Milwaukee and Manny for Los Angeles and it shows you how much talent there is in the major leagues," said Pujols. "Each year, it gets tougher to get your goals and win any award."
A total of 27 players collected votes, including Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, who finished 20th with 11 points.
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(c) 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
