Navajo Jacoby Ellsbury Finishes 2nd in American League MVP Contest

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Jacoby Ellsbury-Navajo

BOSTON - Red Sox centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury finished second in the overall voting for baseball's Most Valuable Player in the American League. Jacoby is the first Navajo baseball player to reach Major League Baseball.

Ellsbury finished second to Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, who became the first starting pitcher to receive the honor since 1986. Verlander won with 280 total points. Ellsbury was second with 242 points.

Rounding out the top five in the American League MVP votes were Blue Jays Jose Bautista with 231 points; Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson with 215 points and Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

His strong statistics for 2011 were strong enough to garner him his second place spot. His batting average was .321; he hit 32 home runs; stole 39 bases and committed no errors.

Drafted by the Red Sox after three years of being a star baseball player at Oregon State University, Ellsbury made it to the major leagues on June 30, 2007 after Coco Crisp was injured. Ellsbury soon proved he was ready for the big league. The next year, Ellsbury led the American League in stolen bases and led Major League Baseball in stolen bases during 2009.

In a September 2007 article the "New York Times" described the Boston Red Sox centerfielder as a "cult hero" who brings "speed, improved defense, and unbridled enthusiasm."

Ellsbury was born and raised in Madras, Oregon. He is a tribal member of the Colorado Indian Tribe. He is currently a Nike7 ambassador, a program that the Nike company to bring sport and all of its benefits to the American Indian and Aboriginal communities in the United States and Canada.

posted November 22, 2011 11:50 am est