NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez may not yet have any World Series rings to show for his remarkable career, but the Yankees' third baseman picked up his second American League Most Valuable Player Award on Monday.
Rodriguez beat out David Ortiz, Boston's larger-than-life designated hitter, who finished a close second in the vote. Rodriguez earned 16 first-place votes and 331 points, while Ortiz received 11 first-place votes and 307 points.

Los Angeles' Vladimir Guerrero received the other first-place vote, finishing third. Boston's Manny Ramirez and Cleveland's Travis Hafner rounded out the top five.

Rodriguez got 11 second-place votes and one third, while Ortiz was listed second on 17 ballots.

A-Rod's numbers were hard to argue with: a .321 average, 130 RBIs and an AL-leading 48 home runs. Considering Ortiz's final stats (.300-47-148), a case could have been made for either candidate, but Rodriguez's stellar play at third base likely pushed him over the top, as Ortiz's status as a DH hurt him with some voters.

Votes were cast before the postseason, which was good news for both A-Rod and Big Papi, who may have watched Chicago's Paul Konerko vault himself to the top in that scenario. Rodriguez went 2-for-15 in the Yankees' ALDS loss to the Angels, while Ortiz had just one RBI as the Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the White Sox in the opening round.

The fact that the Yankees overtook the Red Sox to win their eighth consecutive AL East title probably didn't hurt Rodriguez, either. In the clincher, which came on the penultimate day of the regular season, A-Rod went 4-for-5 with a home run in the Yankees' 8-4 victory at Fenway Park.

A-Rod ranked in the top five in the AL in homers (first), RBIs (fourth), batting average (second), runs (first), slugging percentage (first), OPS (first), on-base percentage (second) and walks (third). He even added 21 stolen bases, which was ninth best in the league.

Rodriguez's award is the 19th in Yankees history, the most of any franchise. He is the first Yankee to win the MVP Award since Don Mattingly captured it in 1985. Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle won three MVPs apiece, while Roger Maris won two. Other Yankees winners were Lou Gehrig, Joe Gordon, Spud Chandler, Phil Rizzuto, Elston Howard and Thurman Munson.

Rodriguez became the 23rd multiple MVP winner and only the fourth to win at two positions and with two clubs. He was a shortstop with the Rangers when he was the AL MVP in 2003.

Rodriguez has also been the runner-up twice, in 2002 with Texas to Oakland's Miguel Tejada and in 1996 with Seattle to Texas' Juan Gonzalez.

Ortiz's supporters pointed to his numbers in "close and late" situations, which are defined by at-bats in the seventh inning or later with the team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run at least on deck.

In 78 such at-bats, Ortiz hit .346 (27-for-78) with 11 home runs, 33 RBIs and a .447 on-base percentage. But A-Rod posted respectable numbers in those situations, too, hitting .293 (22-for-75) with four home runs, 12 RBIs and a .418 on-base percentage.

Rodriguez, who took a lot of heat in 2004 for hitting just .248 with runners in scoring position -- including a .206 mark with RISP and two outs -- made up for it this season. With runners in scoring position, Rodriguez hit .290, including a .302 average with two outs.

Rodriguez, who set an AL mark for most home runs by a third baseman, also set a new club standard for right-handed hitters with his 48 homers, breaking DiMaggio's 68-year-old mark of 47. DiMaggio's 1937 season had been the only one in which a right-handed hitter hit more than 40 home runs for the Bombers.

Of those 48 long balls, 26 of them came at Yankee Stadium, as A-Rod shattered the previous team mark of 19 home runs hit by a right-hander in the Bronx. The mark had been held by DiMaggio ('37) and Gary Sheffield (2004).

Rodriguez also became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 400 home runs, hitting his milestone shot on June 8 in Milwaukee. Rodriguez hit 409 homers before his 30th birthday, eclipsing the mark of his former teammate, Ken Griffey Jr., who hit 398 homers before turning 30.