Dodgers Ohtani and Yankees Judge recipients of MLB MVP awards
Baseball’s MVPs have been decided. Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani wins the National League award, while Yankees’ Aaron Judge takes home the title again for the American League.
From Jacksonville to Cooperstown? Two of Northeast Florida’s baseball All-Stars are among the first-time nominees on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2026.
Former West Nassau High School infielder Howie Kendrick and former Englewood High School and Jacksonville University infielder Daniel Murphy are included as part of 12 new additions to the nominees list. The two combined for four All-Star Game appearances.
While their nominations in theory could ultimately lead to a plaque in Cooperstown, N.Y., going by the numbers, their road to the Hall won’t be easy.
Nominees must receive 75 percent of the ballots to receive enshrinement, and as recent history shows, the threshold is difficult to surpass or even approach. Candidates returning from last year’s ballot after finishing below 75 percent are Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Chase Utley, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte, Felix Hernandez, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel, Dustin Pedroia, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodriguez, David Wright and Torii Hunter.
In addition to Kendrick and Murphy, newcomers to the ballot are Ryan Braun, Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnacion, Gio Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Cole Hamels, Matt Kemp, Nick Markakis, Hunter Pence and Rick Porcello.
Both Kendrick and Murphy were selected to the Times-Union’s Jax Greatest 100 list in 2024.
Northeast Florida already has a decorated Hall of Fame history. Former Bolles School and Atlanta Braves slugger Chipper Jones entered the Hall in 2018; early shortstop legend John Henry Lloyd, a Palatka native who spent much of his youth in Jacksonville, was enshrined posthumously in 1977; and several Hall of Famers, such as former commissioner Bowie Kuhn and former New York Giants first baseman Bill Terry, resided in the Jacksonville area following their baseball careers.
Howie Kendrick MLB file
Kendrick, although primarily a second baseman and left fielder, played nearly every position on the field during a 15-year career with the Los Angeles Angels (2006-14), Los Angeles Dodgers (2015-16), Philadelphia Phillies (2017) and Washington Nationals (2017-20).
The Most Valuable Player of the 2019 NLCS, Kendrick achieved one of the landmark moments of Washington sports history when he slugged the go-ahead home run in Game 7 of the World Series to bring the Nationals their first-ever championship.
Kendrick earned All-Star honors in 2011 with the Angels. In his career, he played 1,621 games and batted .294 with 1,747 hits, 354 doubles, 127 home runs, 724 RBI, 126 stolen bases and a .767 OPS.
After playing high school baseball at West Nassau, Kendrick was lightly recruited, signing with St. Johns River State College. The Angels selected him in the 10th round in 2002.
Daniel Murphy MLB file
Murphy played 12 years in the major leagues, primarily at second base, with the New York Mets (2008-09, 2011-15), Washington Nationals (2016-18), Chicago Cubs (2018) and Colorado Rockies (2019-20).
He earned the Silver Slugger award in 2016 and 2017 and placed second in National League MVP balloting in 2016, when he batted .347 with a league-high 47 doubles, 25 home runs, 104 RBI and an NL-best .985 OPS. Murphy went to the All-Star Game in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
In 2015, he set a Major League Baseball record by slugging home runs in six consecutive postseason games, earning the NLCS MVP award in the process. In 1,452 MLB games, Murphy batted .296 with 1,572 hits, 371 doubles, 138 home runs, 735 RBI, 68 stolen bases and a .796 OPS.
After the Mets drafted Murphy out of JU in the 13th round of the 2006 draft, he reached the majors within slightly more than two years.