Altuve up for Esurance Best Major Leaguer

They are the reason we buy tickets. They hit for average and power, they run, they throw, they defend and they thrill, night after night.

The plan for Major League Baseball’s best players is to show up to work every day, do something to help a team win and hopefully delight fans in the process.

The best of those players transcend the sport because they do it over and over again for much of the grinding 162-game slate. And at the end of each season, they are rewarded for their impact and excellence.

• Vote: Esurance MLB Awards balloting begins

One of the top honors to receive is the prestigious Esurance MLB Award for Best Major Leaguer, and the list of nominees for the 2016 campaign consists of usual suspects plus up-and-comers who have shown they are not only brilliant but also polished well beyond their years.

The choice will come down to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson and Angels center fielder Mike Trout.

All five have dominated in the stat books with different skill sets that showcase everything that makes a winning baseball player, and cases can be made for all five, but only one will take home the hardware.

The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball’s greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five groups, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters.

The MLB Awards are an all-inclusive program, encompassing the top players and performances from both the American and National Leagues from Opening Day through the end of the postseason.

Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: Best Hitter, …

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