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 Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was the clear choice in
the NL, receiving all 30 first-place votes and becoming at 23 the
youngest unanimous MVP ever on Thursday.
The AL MVP award went to Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh
Donaldson, who joined George Bell as the only players in franchise
history to receive the honor. Donaldson received 23 first-place
votes from Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Harper tied for the National League lead with 42 home runs while
playing in a career-high 153 games and his .330 batting average was
second best in the NL. He also led the majors in on-base percentage
at .460.
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt received
18-second place votes to finish second, while Cincinnati Reds first
baseman Joey Votto finished third in the balloting.
Donaldson helped the Blue Jays reach the playoffs for the first time
since 1993 by leading the AL in runs with 122, while driving in 123
and tying for third in home runs with 41.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout finished a distant second
in the AL voting with seven first-place votes. Kansas City Royals
center fielder Lorenzo Cain was third.
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The Milwaukee Brewers acquired speedy infielder Jonathan Villar from
the Houston Astros for minor-league pitcher Cy Sneed.
The 24-year-old versatile Villar is primarily a shortstop but has
played third base, second base and outfield.
Villar, a Dominican-born switch hitter, played in 53 games last
season, batting .284 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He has also
stolen stolen 42 bases in 198 career games.
Sneed, 23, posted a 6-11 record with a 2.58 ERA in 26 games this
past season between low Class A Wisconsin and high Class A Brevard
County.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins will meet in a two-game
series in San Juan, Puerto Rico as part of festivities celebrating
the late Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, MLB commissioner Rob
Manfred said at the owners meetings in Dallas.
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The games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium will be played May 30-31 and
counted as Marlins home games.
Clemente played his entire 18-season career with the Pittsburgh
Pirates before his tragic death in a plane crash in 1972 and was a
native of Puerto Rico.
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Manfred also said baseball is planning changes in the safety netting
at ballparks to help protect fans in the wake of injuries resulting
from balls and bats flying into the seats.
"In addition to a recommendation on the physical location of nets,
there will be a broad fan education component to the program,"
Manfred said.
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ESPN will provide coverage of seven 2016 season-opening games -
three on Sunday, April 3 and four on Monday, April 4.
The World Series champion Kansas City Royals will host the New York
Mets, a rematch of the World Series won by the Royals, in ESPN's
first Sunday night game of the season. (Editing by Larry Fine) ))
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