New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - Oakland Athletics shortstop Miguel Tejada was named the American League Most Valuable Player for the 2002 season on Tuesday, beating out Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez and New York Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano for the award. Tejada garnered 21 first-place votes and 356 total points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Tejada finished 102 points ahead of Rodriguez, who finished second in the voting with 254 points and five first-place votes. Soriano finished third with 234 total points and garnered the final two first-place votes. Ballots were due by the 32 voters on the final day of the regular season.

Tejada collected 34 home runs and 131 RBI with a .308 batting average in all 162 games for the A's this season. He also scored 108 runs and helped his own cause for the MVP with consecutive walk-off hits that extended Oakland's winning streak to 18 and 19 games in early September. The A's went on to win 20 straight, but eventually lost in the Division Series to Minnesota.

Tejada became the second Oakland player to win a major award for the 2002 season, as Barry Zito captured the AL Cy Young Award.

Rodriguez put up the best numbers in the AL, leading the league with a career- best 57 home runs and 142 RBI, while finishing second with 125 runs scored. Rodriguez also bested Tejada and Soriano with his on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

However, Rodriguez was not the runaway favorite to win the award because the Rangers finished last in the AL West, while the Yankees and A's both made the playoffs. Former Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson won the MVP in 1987, but he remains the only player to ever win the award despite playing for a last place team.

Soriano clubbed 39 homers and recorded 102 RBI with a .300 batting average and a league-best 128 runs scored. Soriano also led the AL with 41 stolen bases for the Yankees, and was one homer shy of being the first player to hit 40 homers and 40 doubles, while stealing 40 bases in the same season. The Yankees lost in their Division Series to the Anaheim Angels, the eventual World Series Champions. Two of Soriano's teammates, first baseman Jason Giambi and center fielder Bernie Williams, also had excellent seasons, making it difficult to argue that Soriano is the most valuable player on his team.

Tejada is the second Athletic to win the MVP in the last three seasons, joining Giambi, who took the honor in 2000.

Tejada also received six second-place votes, and one third-place vote from the BBWAA voters. Anaheim left fielder Garret Anderson finished fourth and Giambi was fifth. Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter, Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox right fielder Magglio Ordonez, Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez and Williams round out the top 10 in the voting.

Barry Bonds won the National League MVP this year for an unprecedented fifth time.