Cubs' Anthony Rizzo Finishes 4th In NL MVP Voting

(CBS) Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo finished fourth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced Thursday evening.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was the unanimous NL MVP after hitting .330 with 42 homers, 99 RBIs, 118 runs and an 1.109 OPS. Rizzo received three second-place votes. Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta finished sixth in the voting, while third baseman Kris Bryant was 11th.

The 26-year-old Rizzo had arguably the best season of his five-year MLB career, hitting .278 with 31 homers, 101 RBIs, 94 runs, 17 stolen bases and an .899 OPS. He was an All-Star for the second consecutive season, and he served as the leader of a young, burgeoning Cubs team that won 97 games and advanced to the NLCS.

And it was Rizzo who hinted as far back as last January that the Cubs would crash onto the scene, saying they'd win the NL Central.

"It's going to happen this year," Rizzo said in mid-January. "It's what we're going to do. We're going to play, we're going to win the NL Central. Quote me on that. We should be the team, with all due respect to every other team, they're just as good talent wise, but we're going to do some things this year. That's what we're expecting. That's what we're putting our sights on. We're not going to accept anything else."

The Cubs didn't quite do that, finishing three games behind the division-winning Cardinals, but Chicago did beat St. Louis in four games in the NLDS.

Rizzo's fourth-place MVP finish came after he was 10th in the voting in 2014. His 101 RBIs were third in the NL.

Earlier this week, the Cubs won plenty of hardware. Bryant won the NL Rookie of the Year award, Joe Maddon was named the NL Manager of the Year and Arrieta took home the NL Cy Young.