NewsTulo finishes fifth in NL MVP race
He was sixth shortstop in league history to hit 30 homers
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com
11/24/09 9:40 PM EST
There was little doubt that Albert Pujols would win the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and indeed the Cardinals first baseman walked away with all 32 first-place votes.
The Rockies were represented in the balloting, though, by shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who finished fifth with 172 points, 31 points behind the Brewers' Prince Fielder.
Tulowitzki received three second-place votes, six third-place votes and five fourth, fifth and sixth-place votes to go along with one seventh and eighth-place nods.
In 2009, Tulowitzki overcame a slow start to hit .297 with 32 home runs, 92 RBIs and 101 runs scored. He became the sixth NL shortstop in history to exceed 30 homers.
More importantly to him, he led the Rockies to their second NL Wild Card berth in his three seasons in the big leagues.
2009 NL MVP vote leaders
| Player | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Pujols, STL | 32 | 448 | ||
| H. Ramirez, FLA | 15 | 5 | 233 | |
| R. Howard, PHI | 6 | 8 | 217 | |
| P. Fielder, MIL | 5 | 9 | 203 | |
| T. Tulowitzki, COL | 3 | 6 | 172 | |
| A. Ethier, LAD | 2 | 113 |
"I'm really happy for the team to reach the postseason, which was my main goal," Tulowitzki said before the NL Division Series with the Phillies started. "I just wanted to be a good player for this team, and since we're there, I think it goes to show I had something to do with it. The personal numbers are nice, but it's all about winning for me."
Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
