Tony Watson played seven seasons with the Pirates before heading to the West Coast to play for the Dodgers, Giants and now Angels. The 2014 All-Star has appeared in 655 career games, all in relief, and owns a lifetime 2.90 ERA.
OUTSTANDING PLAYER FINALISTS
American League
ALEX BREGMAN
Alex Bregman, already among the best all-around talents in the game, slashed .296/.423/.592 to help the Astros win their second consecutive AL West title. The former LSU star hit 41 home runs,
drove in 112 runners and led the league with 119 walks. His 8.4 bWAR was the second-best in Astros history.
RAFAEL DEVERS
Rafael Devers, a 22-year-old prodigy from the Dominican Republic, batted .311 with 32 home runs and 115 RBIs with a league-leading 54 doubles in just his second full season with the Red
Sox. The left-handed-hitting third baseman also placed second in the majors in both hits (201) and runs scored (129) and led the AL with 90 extra-base hits and 359 total bases.
MIKE TROUT
Mike Trout continued to demonstrate why he’s widely considered this generation’s greatestplayer both offensively and defensively. With his season cut short by about a month, the 28-year-old New Jersey native produced .291 batting average, 45 HR and a 104 RBIs. Trout, who has now hit at least 27 home runs in each of his eight full seasons, also led the AL with a 1.083 OPS.
National League
CODY BELLINGER
Cody Bellinger, still just 24, has only gotten better since being voted the NL Outstanding Rookie in the 2017 Players Choice Awards. He established career bests with a .305 batting average, 47 home runs and 115 RBIs in 2019
while splitting time between the
outfield and first base for the NL West champion Dodgers.
ANTHONY RENDON
Maybe Anthony Rendon will no longer be considered one of the most underrated players in baseball after his stellar season. The 29-year-old third baseman slashed .319/.412/.598 and led the majors with 126 RBIs and topped the NL with 44 doubles for the second consecutive year. He
also made contact with a
best-in-the-NL 88.3% of the pitches he swung at.
CHRISTIAN YELICH
Christian Yelich, 27-year-old outfielder from Southern California, has emerged as one of baseball’s best hitters since joining the Brewers in January 2018. He slashed .329/.429/.671, leading the league in all three categories, while hitting 44 home runs to go along with 97 RBIs and
30 stolen bases despite missing the last few weeks of the season with a fractured knee cap.
2019 Players Choice Awards Outstanding Player Finalists
American League Players select Alex Bregman, Rafael Devers and Mike Trout; National League Players choose Cody Bellinger, Anthony Rendon and Christian Yelich.
NEW YORK, Oct. 17 – Players selected Rafael Devers, Alex Bregman and Mike Trout as finalists in the American League and Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger and Anthony Rendon in the National League in voting for Outstanding Player honors in the 2019 Players Choice Awards.
Winners of the AL and NL Outstanding Player awards receive grants of $20,000 each from the Major League Baseball Players Trust to direct to charities of their choice.
All told, the 2019 Players Choice Award winners will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing more than $5 million to charities around the world.
Additionally, the 2019 Player of the Year and Marvin Miller Man of the Year will receive a $50,000 grant and the eight league-wide Players Choice Award winners will receive grants of $20,000 each.
Through their collective charity, players pool resources to support efforts that provide hope, sustainability and lasting change around the world. Players direct grants to the wide range of causes they support – from disaster relief to health and human services to growing baseball in the United States and abroad.
Players Choice Awards voting among all players was conducted in mid-September by the accounting firm KPMG. Winners will be announced next week.
About the Major League Baseball Players Trust
Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes. Each year the Players Trust distributes more than $1.5 million in annual grants and programs. For additional information, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org, @MLBPlayersTrust.