Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper named NL MVP

In an announcement that surprised nobody, the Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson were named Most Valuable Players in National League and American League, respectively.

While Harper was the obvious victor in the NL - he received all 30 first-place votes, making him the first unanimous victor of the MVP Award - Donaldson had to squeeze past tough competition from Mike Trout in the AL.

Harper becomes the first MVP in franchise history for the Nationals, who missed out on the postseason despite an incredible season from the 23-year-old.

of the Arizona Diamondbacks was second to Harper, with Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto third.

Donaldson helped the Blue Jays reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993 by leading the AL in runs with 122. The other seven first-place votes went to defending AL MVP Mike Trout. Donaldson's 385 points (23 first-place votes) bested Trout's 304 (seven first-place votes) and Lorenzo Cain's 225.

In just his third season in the majors, Harper hit 42 home runs with a. 330 batting average. The feat is all the more impressive because Trout, 24, has played only four full seasons in the major leagues. In September, Harper and teammate Jonathan Papelbon got into a skirmish in the dugout, resulting in Papelbon being suspended by the team for the rest of the season.

Donaldson, traded from Oakland last offseason, hit.297/.371/.568 with 41 doubles and 41 home runs in his first season in Toronto.

Donaldson became the second Toronto player to receive the MVP honor, following outfielder George Bell, who was the 1987 victor.

Donaldson was good offensively, defensively, and was a clutch player for the Blue Jays in 2015.

Though the Washington Nationals' season (83-79) fell short of expectations, Harper did not, as he led the majors in on-base percentage (.460), slugging (.649) and WAR (9.9). As a member of the A's he finished eighth in voting in 2014 and fourth in 2013.

History says: Harper is the first player ever to combine at least 42 homers and 124 walks in one season by age 22. Donaldson also posted the league's highest Win Probability - which measures how each individual play increases or decreases a team's chances of winning - with a 5.75 mark to Trout's 5.32, which means Donaldson played a greater role in Jays' victories than Trout did for the Angels.