Sorry, Philadelphia Phillies fans, but Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch unapologetically calls 'em like he sees 'em. And he saw the National League MVP race this year through a lens you probably won't enjoy.
But, as you boo, then clear your throat, then boo again, louder and with feeling, just remember: unlike those cowardly Hall of Fame voters, he stood behind his decision. He put his name and face behind it. He showed you his ballot and opened the door to discourse. So, treat him well, voice your opinion, and engage.
The NL MVP vote went about the way we expected it to when the results were revealed on Thursday night, with Shohei Ohtani besting a second-place Kyle Schwarber with a unanimous showing. It marked Ohtani's fourth MVP, all of which have come by a first-place margin of 30-0. Untainted. Immaculate. Ridiculous.
Schwarber grabbed the runner-up role, which was clearly the best he could've hoped for, but Goold did not help the slugger's cause. Maybe it was the "DH" of it all. Maybe it was the proliferation of power in the game these days, with Goold left unimpressed by such a high total of Schwarbombs. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't spend much time around these parts watching Schwarber's intangible "value" in action, the leadership elements that can easily be obscured by the stat sheet.
Whatever helped him make his decision, he penciled in Schwarber - no, really, it was written in pencil - fifth, behind Juan Soto, Geraldo Perdomo, and Paul Skenes.
I had an NL MVP ballot this year.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) November 14, 2025
This was my final vote, submitted to BBWAA.
Love you, Phillies fans. pic.twitter.com/7O7ttytfxf
Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies finished fifth on St. Louis Cardinals writer's MVP ballot
Skenes? That's a classic old-school fourth place vote, as the Pirates ace was one of the most objectively valuable players in baseball, though his value didn't mean much to his dreck-minded teammates. Perdomo was the voting's biggest snub overall; what did Soto do that he didn't? He mesmerized on a near-playoff-miss in the desert. Soto reached 30-30 on a "near-playoff-miss," too, but he missed October in such spectacular fashion that it should've automatically canceled out any praise he received.
Schwarber, on the NL East champions, came up fifth, in Goold's mind, who clearly didn't let anti-NL Central bias blind him with the Skenes vote (and the begrudging acknowledgment of Brice Turang in 10th).
Soto over Schwarbs? You have to see it to believe it. And we see it right here, but we don't see what he saw.