It was another ho-hum year for Ryan Tepera, who logged a 3.92 ERA over 21 appearances out of the Cubs’ bullpen. Not bad for a 33-year-old who has spent much of the past decade bussing between the majors and Triple-A.
Relievers tend not to draw much MVP consideration, which is why it was so astounding Thursday when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America shared the official results of this year’s National League MVP race, won decisively by Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman. That’s not the shocking part—Freeman was a heavy favorite, ultimately receiving 28 of 30 first-place votes. What raised eyebrows was Rick Hummel, a long-tenured beat writer for theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, inexplicably casting a 10th-place vote for Tepera.
That’s right, Tepera, who began the year at the Cubs’ alternate training site in Indiana, miraculously tied for 18th in National League MVP voting, earning as many votes as Atlanta ace Max Fried, teammate Ian Happ and NL Rookie of the Year Devin Williams. So what possessed Hummel, who has covered the Cardinals longer than Tepera has been alive, to include a random middle reliever—from a division rival, no less—on his MVP ballot? Not a thing. In fact, Hummel was as surprised as the rest of us when he learned he had voted for Tepera.
“I’m sure the Tepera family is delighted, but there’s no way I would have voted for him. It was an accident,” said Hummel in his explanation to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago. Hummel’s intention was to vote for Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, whose name was listed just below Tepera’s on the computer drop-down menu. The veteran baseball scribe must not have double-checked before submitting his final ballot, allowing Tepera, a former 19th-round pick who spent six agonizing years in the Blue Jays’ farm system before reaching the major leagues, to garner a 10th-place vote.
“Trea Turner should have one more point,” said Hummel, apologizing for the mix-up. “He’s a good player.” Fortunately for Hummel, that vote wouldn’t have made much difference. Turner finished seventh in the balloting, well behind sixth-place recipient Marcell Ozuna (167 points to Turner’s 83). Voting blunders like this will happen from time to time. Over the summer, ESPN’s Maria Taylor caught flak for errantly leaving Anthony Davis off her All-NBA ballot, a gaffe she was heavily criticized for.
Tepera, who does not maintain a particularly active social media presence (he hasn’t tweeted anything since August), has yet to weigh in on his much-discussed MVP candidacy.
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