AL MVP Rankings: Angels Rookie Mike Trout Making a Strong Push for Top Spot

At the rate he's going, Los Angeles Angels rookie outfielder Mike Trout looks like a lock for the American League Rookie of the Year award.

And that's not the only piece of hardware he could collect this year. Trout is also a legitimate candidate to walk away with the American League Most Valuable Player award.

Shoot, why not? Trout boasts gaudy numbers across the board, and the Angels have been Major League Baseball's best team since Trout got called up in late April. Those who have been paying attention to the Angels since Trout's call-up will know that his arrival and the Angels' rise to power are very much related.

With Josh Hamilton falling closer and closer to earth's surface with each passing week, the AL MVP race is more wide open now than it's been at any time during the season. That's Trout's invitation to keep climbing the ranks.

Here are this week's AL MVP rankings.

Note: Feel free to check out last week's rankings.

5. David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox

Last Week: Unranked

David Ortiz may not be a big fan of the constant drama that comes with being a member of the 2012 Boston Red Sox, but he sure is having one heck of a season.

Though Big Papi has fallen into a mini-slump in the last couple of days, he's still hitting .300/.387/.588 with 18 home runs and 49 RBI. He ranks in the top 10 in the American League in numerous offensive categories, including home runs, RBI, slugging and OPS.

It may not seem like it, but Big Papi is actually on pace to have a rather historic season. Per ESPN.com, he's on pace to hit over .300 (obviously) with 41 home runs.

According to ESPNBoston.com stats guru Jerry Lundblad, the last American League player over the age of 35 to hit .300 with at least 40 home runs was some guy named Babe Ruth.

It's true. Baseball-Reference.com has the numbers all worked out.

Admittedly, it was a toss-up between Ortiz and Mark Trumbo for the No. 5 spot on this list. It's a tough choice because the two boast numbers that are very nearly identical.

Ortiz got the nod this week because he's been hot lately, and because it's only becoming more and more apparent that the Red Sox wouldn't be a season-high four games over .500 if it weren't for him.

Take Ortiz off the Red Sox, and they're a mediocre team (or an even more mediocre team, one supposes). Take Trumbo off the Angels, and they're still pretty good.

Besides, a certain young teammate of Trumbo's is far more vital to the Angels' success than he is.

4. Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

Last Week: No. 2

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Think back, if you will, to the date of May 13, 2012. At the end of that day, Josh Hamilton was hitting .402/.455/.866 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Since then, he's hitting .236/.306/.425 with four home runs and 20 RBI. He's gone from being the best player in the world to being just another guy, and it feels like his numbers are only getting worse and worse every week.

This is not to say that Hamilton's numbers for the season aren't impressive, mind you. Despite his prolonged slump, he's still hitting .319/.380/.646 with an AL-best 1.025 OPS. His 22 home runs now rank third in the American League, but he still leads the league with his 64 RBI.

Hamilton is also tied for third in the AL with a WAR of 3.4, according to FanGraphs.

That's what's scary about Hamilton. He's been one of the league's most ordinary players for over a month, and he still ranks as one of the league's five most valuable players (statistically speaking, of course).

At some point, you have to figure that Hamilton is going to snap out of it and start swinging the bat the way he was earlier in the season.

That's also a scary thought. Especially if you're an American League pitcher.

3. Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Last Week: No. 3

There are times when Robinson Cano looks like one of the American League's most overrated players.

But when he's on...Man, it's a heck of a thing.

That's the kind of groove Cano is in right now, and what's weird is that his season is pretty much the exact opposite of Hamilton's.

Per Baseball-Reference.com, Cano was hitting .299/.345/.445 with three home runs and 14 RBI through May 13. He was hitting pretty well, but Yankees fans everywhere were wondering where the power and the run production was.

In 37 games (36 starts) since, Cano has hit .299/.389/.672 with 13 home runs and 22 RBI. He now ranks in the top 10 in the American League in home runs, slugging, and OPS.

Whatever you do, don't overlook what Cano is doing out in the field too. Per FanGraphs, his 4.3 UZR leads all qualified American League second basemen (he also leads in UZR/150).

There should be no doubt about it: Cano is the best player on the Yankees right now. He can do it all.

...Except hit with runners in scoring position. His .154 batting average with ducks on the pond needs to come up.

The fact that he's a legit MVP candidate even despite his struggles with runners in scoring position is pretty remarkable.

2. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Last Week: Unranked

Now that he has enough plate appearances to qualify among the statistical leaders in the American League, it is no longer an exaggeration to say this:

Mike Trout is the best player in the American League right now.

Yup, it's true. We're talking about a guy who hits, runs the bases and plays defense as well as anybody.

Through 51 games and 233 plate appearances, Trout is hitting .338/.399/.531 with seven home runs, 43 runs scored and 29 RBI. He ranks second in the league in average, 10th in slugging, sixth in OPS, and he leads the AL with 21 stolen bases.

Defensively, Trout currently boasts a UZR of 7.3, according to FanGraphs. That ranks third among qualified American League outfielders.

Because he's such a complete baseball player who's doing so well, it should come as no surprise that Trout is leading the American League with a WAR of 3.7. Statistically, he is the most valuable player in the American League. 

If the stats don't do it for you, consider this: as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times pointed out on Twitter today, the Angels are 34-19 since Trout debuted in late April, and 22-8 in their last 30 games.

Without Trout, the Angels would probably be languishing somewhere around the .500 mark. With him, they're seven games over it.

This is not a coincidence.

1. Adam Jones, CF, Baltimore Orioles

Last Week: No. 1

As much as I heart Mike Trout (and I do heart Mike Trout, you guys), Adam Jones is the man to beat in the American League MVP race.

If you're somewhat (or totally) surprised by this, don't be. It's not like we're talking about some random slouch on a bad team with no numbers to boast about.

On the contrary, Jones is a star player on an Orioles team that has more wins than the Angels and that is currently sitting in second place in baseball's toughest division.

Jones has played in all 72 of Baltimore's games this season. He's hitting .300/.346/.561 with 19 home runs, 40 RBI, 49 runs scored and nine stolen bases. He ranks in the top 10 in the AL in just about every major offensive category, including home runs, slugging and OPS.

Jones is hit or miss defensively, but his 3.6 UZR suggests that he hits more than he misses. According to FanGraphs, the only center fielder in the American League with a higher UZR is Colby Rasmus. 

As far as WAR goes, Jones is tied with Hamilton for third in the AL at 3.4. He has an edge over Cano and Trout in the MVP race because he plays on an Orioles team that isn't nearly as loaded as the Yankees or the Angels.

Buck Showalter asks a lot of Jones. More often than not, he delivers.

Last Week's Rankings

5. Mark Trumbo, INF/OF, Los Angeles Angels

He's still very much a AL MVP candidate. If Ortiz slumps, Trumbo will sneak back into the top five next week.

4. Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox

Nobody could get him out from the middle of May straight through to the end of the month. In June, however, he's hitting .234/.310/.344 with two home runs and six RBI (h/t Baseball-Reference.com). He's not a great defender or a terror on the bases, so he has to hit in order to help the White Sox.

3. Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Steady as she goes.

2. Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

The fact that the Rangers are still winning despite Hamilton's slump is proof that they don't go as he goes.

1. Adam Jones, CF, Baltimore Orioles

Jones, meanwhile, is eight for his last 32 with one homer and one RBI, and the O's have lost five of nine. They go as he goes.

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