Cruz and Jones receive votes for AL MVP

Angels outfielder Mike Trout ran away with the BBWAA's Most Valuable Player award in the American League, the announcement coming tonight on MLB Network. Trout is no longer a bridesmaid or baseball's version of Susan Lucci. It wasn't enough to be nominated. He finally won - the 10th player in baseball history to be a unanimous selection. Trout batted .287/.377/.561 with 39 doubles, nine triples, 36 home runs, 111 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 157 games. He did lead the AL in strikeouts with 184, but voters were willing to overlook it. As expected, two Orioles garnered votes. Nelson Cruz placed seventh behind Trout, Victor Martinez, Michael Brantley, Jose Abreu, Robinson Cano and Jose Bautista. He received six third-place votes, three fourth, two fifth, two sixth, two seventh, one ninth and one 10th. Five of the six third-place votes came from writers who cover teams in the AL East - one from New York, one from New Jersey, two from Tampa and one from Toronto. Adam Jones finished in 14th place. He received one fifth-place vote, three sixth, one seventh, one eighth, two ninth and two 10th. The fifth-place vote came from Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. Jones placed sixth in 2012 and 13th in 2013. Cruz was named Most Valuable Oriole by media covering the team. In case you missed it, he's currently a free agent seeking a five-year deal. Cruz led the majors with 40 home runs and batted .271/.333/.525 with 32 doubles, two triples and 108 RBIs. Jones batted .281/.311/.469 with 30 doubles, two triples, 29 home runs and 96 RBIs in 159 games.