Member » MONTREAL (AP) — Charlie Montoyo was a 27-year-old infielder

still trying to carve out a major league career the last time he stepped on the field at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.Montoyo Kenta Maeda Jersey , now the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, returned to the city Monday as his team opened a two-game exhibition series against the Milwaukee Brewers.“I’m never going to forget having my first hit of two here,” Montoyo said. “That’s a memory that I’m always going to have. Hopefully they (show) the highlights before the game. They’d have to stop the game for five seconds.”Montoyo, who was drafted by the Brewers twice — in 1986 and 1987 — made his major league debut with the Montreal Expos in 1993, appearing in four games with a pair of hits and three RBIs. But that would be it for his big league playing career.Montoyo sat in a familiar spot in the Olympic Stadium dugout when addressing the media before Monday night’s game, a 10-5 win for the Brewers. It was the same spot he was sitting in when former manager Felipe Alou asked him to pinch-hit for his first major league appearance against the Colorado Rockies.“I got here late, like 7 o’clock or 7:10 or something. I said hello to Felipe and I put my uniform on and sat on the bench,” Montoyo recalled. “Until the seventh inning when he said, ‘If they bring the lefty you’re going to go pinch-hit.'”The Rockies brought in left-hander Gary Wayne and Montoyo stepped to the plate. He said there were no butterflies in his stomach when he hit the go-ahead single before closer John Wetteland preserved a 4-3 victory.“There were butterflies when I went to play defense because I hadn’t taken any groundballs or anything,” said Montoyo, who will make his regular-season debut as a major league manager Thursday at home against the Detroit Tigers. “But Wetteland was lights out, 1-2-3 and game over. I was the hero.”A number of one-time Expos, including Alou, Larry Walker and Steve Rogers were on hand before the game to be commemorated for the team’s 50th anniversary.Montoyo’s two hits with the Expos weren’t part of the celebration, however.Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer and Yasmani Grandal had a two-run shot for Milwaukee. Mike Moustakas and Orlando Arcia each had two hits. The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the finalists for each major MLB award earlier this week, including the three players in the running for the AL and NL MVP awards.In the American League, Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez and Los Angeles Angeles center fielder Mike Trout finished in the top three in the balloting.On the National League side, it was Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez and Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich as the leading vote-getters.With the field now trimmed to three, it's time for some updated look at each MLB race Matt Kemp Jersey , complete with odds and predictions.AL MVPMookie BettsBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesOddsMookie Betts, RF, Boston Red Sox: 1-4Mike Trout, CF, Los Angeles Angels: 17-3Jose Ramirez, 2B/3B, Cleveland Indians: 19-1Stat ComparisonBetts:186 OPS+, 84 XBH (32 HR), 80 RBI, 129 R, 30 SB, 10.9 WARRamirez:150 OPS+, 81 XBH (39 HR), 105 RBI, 110 R, 34 SB, 7.9 WARTrout:199 OPS+, 67 XBH (39 HR), 79 RBI, 101 R, 24 SB http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , 10.2 WAROutlookMLB MLBYour 2018 AL MVP finalists:mookiebettsmrlaparaMikeTrout xLG3flO3CkBetts was runner-up to Trout in the 2016 voting, and those two will dominate the balloting once again this year.However, it's Betts who is the clear front-runner this time around.The 26-year-old led the AL in batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.640) and runs scored (129) as one of the driving forces behind a juggernaut offense in Boston.With 30 steals and 32 home runs, he was one of just two 30/30 players around baseball this year.Betts was also his usual brilliant self defensively in right field, tallying 20 DRS with a 21.1 UZR/150 to win his third straight Gold Glove Award.Mike TroutMasterpress/Getty ImagesWhile Trout had another excellent season鈥攍eading the AL in walks (122), on-base percentage (.460), OPS (1.088) and OPS+ (199)鈥攈e did it while playing for sub-.500 Angels team that finished a distant fourth in the AL West.Fair or not, playing for a winning team still factors heavily into the voting.After finishing third in the voting a year ago, Ramirez actuallyimproved in a number of statistical categories, including OPS+ (145 to 150), home runs (29 to 39), RBI (83 to 105) and steals (17 to 34), to join Betts as a 30/30 player.However, a case can be made that he wasn't even the best player on his own team, as Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (131 OPS+, 38 HR, 92 RBI, 25 SB, 7.9 WAR) is headed for a top-10 finish in the voting as well.In the end, the biggest surprise on the AL side was that Ramirez finished ahead of Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , whohit .330/.402/.629 with 37 doubles, 43 home runs and an AL-leading 130 RBI.Prediction:Betts wins AL MVPNL MVPChristian YelichMorry Gash/Associated PressOddsChristian Yelich, LF, Milwaukee Brewers: 1-9Javier Baez, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs: 23-2Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies: 49-1Stat ComparisonArenado:133 OPS+, 78 XBH (38 HR), 110 RBI, 104 R, 2 SB, 5.6 WARBaez:126 OPS+, 83 XBH (34 HR), 111 RBI, 101 R, 21 SB,6.3 WARYelich:164 OPS+, 77 XBH (36 HR), 110 RBI, 118 R Chris Young Jersey , 22 SB, 7.6 WAROutlookMLB MLBYour 2018 NL MVP finalists:Nolan Arenadojavy23baezChristianYelich CulW8H0IyjYelich has garnered MVP votes just once in his career, finishing 19th in the balloting back in 2016.That speaks to the significant strides he made this season in his first year with the Brewers, as he helped lead Milwaukee to a surprise NL Central title.The 26-year-old won the NL batting title and finished two home runs and one RBI away from winning the Triple Crown.An otherworldly month of September where he hit .370/.508/.804 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI in 27 games helped the Brewers chase down the Cubs in the standings and solidified his standing as the MVP front-runner.At this point, the question is not whether he'll win the award. It's whether he'll win it unanimously.There have been just two unanimous NL winners in the past 15 years Pujols in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2015.Javier BaezJonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesBaez should scoop up the majority of the second-place votes after turning in a breakout season with the Cubs.The free-swinging infielder showed a slightly more refined approach at the plate, trimming his strikeout rate (28.3 to 25.9 percent) and improving his hard-contact rate (32.4 to 35.8 percent) in the process.His quick-twitch athleticism was still on full display on a daily basis, though, as he was a game-changer on the basepaths and defensively at second base and shortstop, along with his gaudy offensive numbers.Arenado edged out the likes of Freddie Freeman, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter to finish third in the voting.As usual, he filled up the stat sheet while playing excellent defense at third base for a contending Rockies team.However, his dramatic home (1.105 OPS, 23 HR, 62 RBI) and road (.772 OPS, 15 HR, 48 RBI) splits water down his overall stat line.Prediction:Yelich wins NL MVP unanimouslyAll stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.