MVP wait ends for Cards star

ATLANTA - Two things separated Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones from disappointment after finishing second Tuesday in the National League's MVP voting.

• Photos

One, the season he had - leading the majors with 51 home runs and the NL with 128 RBI.

And two, the year that St. Louis' Albert Pujols had to win the award that perhaps he deserved a chunk of in recent seasons if not for a guy named Bonds.

Pujols received 18 first-place votes from the country's baseball writers to Jones' 13; Pujols won by virtue of a 378-351 point tabulation.

The Cardinals' 25-year-old first baseman hit .330 with 41 homers and 117 RBI - plus placing among the NL's leaders in a number of other categories - in helping his club reach the league championship series round of the playoffs.

"He had a better season than me," Jones said. "He deserved it after he had that many years being that consistent and that good."

Pujols is turning himself into the model of consistency. He was fourth in MVP voting his rookie season in 2001. Since, he finished second, second, third - and now first.

And for the fourth consecutive year, Pujols had more walks (97) than strikeouts (65).

"I respect him a lot. He's a tremendous hitter," Jones said. "He's got a really good idea what he's doing at the plate."

Those who made the case for Jones pointed to his gaudy power numbers and ability to pick up for the loss of Chipper Jones, who missed more than six weeks with a foot injury.

During that absence, Andruw Jones hit a franchise-record 13 home runs in June. He also had 11 in August.

Jones started September off just as hot, but nagging leg injuries slowed him in the final month. He hit .203 in September to end up at .263 for the year.

That stat alone, Jones said, probably sealed things for Pujols, who Jones said had "the all-around season."

"Me hitting .263 and him hitting .330, that was the difference," said Jones, whose .207 average with runners in scoring position probably didn't help either. "If I could have hit .290, it might have been a different story. He just had a better season than me."

Jones' season shouldn't be completely discounted, however. Long-held expectations were finally met to a great degree by the 28-year-old, who pulled in several postseason awards to validate that claim.

Among them, Jones won The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year; the NL's Hank Aaron Award for best offensive player; the Players' Choice award for top player in the majors; and his eighth consecutive Gold Glove for exemplary play in center field.

Pujols himself said Jones wouldn't have been an incorrect pick. Nor, he said, would Chicago's Derrek Lee.

"You couldn't go wrong with any of those guys," Pujols said. "Andruw had an outstanding year this year. I guess this was my year."

"I wasn't disappointed at all," Jones said of being runner-up. "I didn't think it'd take away from my season if I didn't win. I had a good season."

Reach Travis Haney at travis.haney@morris.com.