Werth finishes 13th in NL MVP voting

Had the Nationals put together a stronger season than they did, and had Jayson Werth not missed a month with a hamstring injury, the veteran outfielder might very well have played a major factor in the National League MVP voting. Instead, Werth finished 13th in the NL MVP vote, which was won by Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen. Werth received 20 points overall, and the highest he came in on any ballot was seventh. The Nats right fielder posted a strong .318/.398/.532 slash line with 25 home runs, 82 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 129 games this season. Werth ranked fifth among qualifying NL players in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage, but he was hurt by, well, the fact that he was hurt this season, as well as the fact that the Nats won just 86 games and missed the postseason. McCutchen led the Pirates to the postseason after hitting .317/.404/.508 with 21 homers, 84 RBIs and 27 stolen bases this season. He also was a finalist in the Gold Glove voting. This is the second-highest Werth has ever finished in the MVP voting; he came in eighth in the voting in 2010 when with the Phillies. Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera won the AL MVP award for the second straight year. Here is the complete voting breakdown for the NL MVP award.