AL MVP Rankings: Counting Down the Top 5 Candidates at the All-Star Break

This is a bittersweet week for baseball fans. As great as the All-Star festivities are, this week also brings the realization that the MLB season is halfway over.

It goes fast, doesn't it?

It sure does. Thankfully for us all, the 2012 campaign has been a dandy to this point.

Especially if you're an American League fan. Of the 14 teams in the junior circuit, only three are under .500. Only the New York Yankees have a comfortable division lead, and there are currently six teams within 6.5 games of the second wild-card spot.

And of course, we've been treated to some truly remarkable individual seasons. Josh Hamilton was the best baseball player in the known universe through the first six weeks of the season, but that honor now belongs to a rookie, Mike Trout. Meanwhile, studs such as Robinson Cano and David Ortiz are adding to their excellent careers.

As such, the American League MVP race features a crowded field. I've been keeping tabs on it with weekly rankings over the last couple months, and now I finally get to dish out a midseason MVP award.

Here are this week's rankings. The guy in the top spot is your 2012 American League half-year MVP.

Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

5. David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox

Last Week: No. 5

David Ortiz has made it clear on a couple different occasions that he's not exactly enjoying himself this season. If that's what's causing him to hit the ball so darn hard, then the Red Sox should be happy that Big Papi is in a bad mood. He's been money at the plate this season.

Ortiz ended the first half with a line of .312/.406/.607, as well as 22 home runs and 57 RBI. His .406 on-base percentage is good for third in the American League. His .607 slugging percentage is good for third as well. His 1.013 OPS is second behind only Josh Hamilton.

Per FanGraphs, Ortiz actually has Hamilton beat in weighted on-base average, a stat that measures a hitter's overall offensive value. The translation there is that Big Papi is actually having a slightly better offensive season than the Texas Rangers star. Try to keep your head from exploding.

One thing that's for sure is that as Ortiz goes, so go the Red Sox. He has a 1.283 OPS in wins to go along with 17 of his home runs and 44 of his RBI. He has a .751 OPS and just five home runs and 13 RBI in losses.

It was a rough first half for the Red Sox, but they managed to end it with an even .500 record at 43-43. Goodness knows where they'd be without Ortiz.

4. Austin Jackson, CF, Detroit Tigers

Last Week: Unranked

Surprised to see Austin Jackson at No. 4 on this list?

I don't blame you. He's flown under the radar this season, and that's due to a number of different factors. He was hurt for a couple weeks. He's overshadowed by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in Detroit's lineup. And above all, the Tigers have struggled to get in a rhythm this season.

What a lot of people fail to notice is that the Tigers are a completely different team when Jackson is in the lineup. With him, they're 36-28. Without him, they're 8-14. That isn't a coincidence. Jackson checks in with a line of .332/.408/.545 at the break, on top of his nine home runs, 38 RBI, 54 runs scored and nine stolen bases.

Only Joe Mauer has a higher OBP, and Jackson ranks ahead of stars like Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista in OPS. 

Further, advanced defensive metrics suggest Jackson is having a fine season defensively as well. According to FanGraphs, Jackson ranks third among all major league center fielders with a 5.2 UZR. His DRS (defensive runs saved) checks in at plus-three.

Nice to know that the Tigers have at least one above-average defensive player. Jackson is third in the AL with a WAR of 4.0. To put that in perspective, Big Papi's WAR is 2.8.

So if you're not already paying attention, Kackson should be on your radar in the second half. The 25-year-old star is having a hell of a season.

3. Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

Last Week: No. 3

Regardless of whether you were surprised to see Jackson at No. 4, I have a feeling most of you are even more surprised to find Josh Hamilton all the way down at No. 3.

Again, I don't blame you. He had a vise grip on the No. 1 spot in these rankings as recently as a couple weeks ago, and none of us are forgetting the numbers he put up early in the season anytime soon.

In the event you have forgotten, Hamilton was hitting .402/.455/.866 with 18 home runs and 44 RBI through his first 32 games. Nobody could get him out.

In his last 47 games before the break, however, Hamilton has hit .238/.327/.465 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. So, on balance, Hamilton has spent a larger percentage of the 2012 season in mediocrity than brilliance. He's been many things this season, but he certainly hasn't been consistent.

Still, credit must go where it is due. Hamilton has slumped for over half the season, but he still leads the American League with 75 RBI and a 1.016 OPS. His 27 home runs are tied with Jose Bautista for the most in baseball. Per FanGraphs, Hamilton's WAR checks in at 3.8, fourth in the American League.

Hamilton would have been the AL MVP at the quarter pole. At the halfway mark, however, he's No. 3 in the running.

2. Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Last Week: No. 2

We've seen Robinson Cano have some outstanding seasons in the past, but he's really outdoing himself in 2012.

Thus far, Cano is hitting .313/.374/.578 with 20 home runs and 51 RBI. He ranks in the top 10 in the American League in batting average, home runs, runs, slugging, OPS, wOBA and so on.

Just like Austin Jackson, though, the one thing that gets overlooked about Cano is his defense. Per FanGraphs, his 4.6 UZR leads all major league second basemen. His plus-seven DRS ranks third.

If Cano was as bad defensively as the Yankees' renowned shortstop, the middle of the team's infield would be a complete disaster. He's saved the team a lot of grief this season.

Because the total package is so impressive where Cano is concerned, it should come as no huge shock that he ranks second in the American League with a WAR of 4.3.

The scary part is that Cano is still not quite there in terms of his hitting with runners in scoring position. He's only hitting .193 in such situations this season, which is not his norm. That number is climbing, though. Look for Cano to be an even more dangerous run producer in the second half of the season.

First Half AL MVP: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Last Week: No. 1

I'm cool with you being surprised about the rest of the top five, but don't be surprised about this. Mike Trout has done more than enough to earn the AL's half-season MVP award.

All Trout has done since his late-April call-up is hit .341/.397/.562 with 12 home runs, 57 runs scored, 40 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He leads the AL in hitting and steals, and he ranks in the top 10 in OBP, slugging and OPS. According to FanGraphs, he has a .423 wOBA. That's tops in the American League.

Also tops in the AL is Trout's WAR of 4.8, which is higher than Cano's WAR by a pretty comfortable margin. This is due to the fact that his hitting, fielding and baserunning have all been truly excellent.

There's also no overlooking just how huge of a difference Trout has made for his big-league squad. WithTrout in the lineup, they're 40-24. Without him in the lineup, they're 8-14. 

The last rookie to energize a team as much as Trout has energized the Angels was Ichiro with the Seattle Mariners back in 2001. He won both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP that season.

Trout is in line to do the same.

Last Week's Rankings

5. David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox

Steady as she goes.

4. Adam Jones, CF, Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles wouldn't be where they are without Adam Jones, but he ended the first half on a down note. He hit .231 with just two homers and five RBI over his last 24 games before the break. 

3. Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers

There's a case to be made for him at No. 2, but not at No. 1.

2. Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees

Cano has managed to accomplish the rare feat of being an underrated Yankee.

1. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Stud.

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

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