Top 10 American League MVP Candidates Through June 3rd

This Major League Baseball season has been fantastic, with some surprises (Cleveland Indians, huh?) and some dazzling pitching. But let's not forget what wins MVP awards—hitting. We have had some incredible hitting performances, including Jose Bautista's three-homer explosion, Asdrubal Cabrera's five-hit, two-homer game and many more.

In regards to the postseason, we have no idea who's going to be this year's San Fransisco Giants, or who is going to win the wild, unpredictable AL East. There is one thing we do know: People like lists. So, let's go ahead and make a list of who are the best MVP candidates in the American League so far.

In my opinion, titles are the only thing that matter, but people always make a big fuss over MVP's. So, without further ado, my top ten (twelve, I have two duos).

10. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox

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CHICAGO, IL - MAY 17: Paul Konerko #14 of the Chicago White Sox hits the ball against the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field on May 17, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox defeated the Rangers 4-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Although the White Sox have been underwhelming this season, Konerko has continued his torrid hitting from last year. With a .310 average, 12 HR and 44 RBI, Paul is on his way to another fantastic season in Chicago.

After his ugly, injury shortened 2008 season, a lot of people thought Konerko, then 33, would start to fade. Fortunately for him, his last few seasons have been nothing short of stellar, and he is once again one of the most feared hitters in the American League.

9. Michael Piñeda, Seattle Mariners

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SEATTLE - MAY 04: Starting pitcher Michael Pineda #36 of the Seattle Mariners pitches against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field on May 4, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Everything that Seattle was hoping for and more, Piñeda has been downright filthy in his magnificent rookie season. Pitching better than staff ace King Felix, Piñeda has been anything but a piñata. His splits suggest that he will be able to maintain this level of dominance, as he has been equally masterful at home and on the road and pitches successfully against both righties and lefties.

Although his walks are a little high, his .196 BAA is fourth in the AL.

Alexi Ogando on Texas also deserves a mention here, but is left off because Texas actually has an offense. Seattle is winning just with their pitching.

8. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

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DETROIT - JUNE 01: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers hits a three run home run in the third inning scoring Brennan Boesch #26 and Ramon Santiago #39 during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park on June 1, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan.

After starting out the season red hot, batting .330 with seven homers in April, Miggy cooled off in May. Despite lighter HR numbers than we expect out of Cabrera, his OPS (1.003) is one of only three in the AL that is above one—barely.

Still, if Detroit can pick it up in the second half, and Miggy ratchets up the power a little, he will certainly find himself in the running for the top spot.

7. Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays

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ST. PETERSBURG - AUGUST 29: Outfielder Matt Joyce #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays fouls off a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Tropicana Field on August 29, 2010 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

Joyce has been absolutely spectacular this season. With the second highest WAR (wins above replacement) in the American League, MJ (has that nickname been taken already?) has been the surprising driving force behind the Rays surge.

With a fantastic May (.414 AVG, 7 HR, 21 RBI), Joyce has forced his way into the MVP discussion. I do not expect Joyce to be in the discussion in September, but for now, he must be mentioned.

6. Jered Weaver/Dan Haren, Los Angeles Angels

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ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 25: Pitchers Dan Harren #24 (R) and Jared Weaver #36 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during the baseball game against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 25, 2011 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Kevork Djans

Weaver and Haren have been phenomenal this season, combining for a 159-38 K/BB ratio. Although their records are unspectacular, their other numbers speak for themselves—2.14 ERA, .95 WHIP, .192 BAA for Weaver; 2.29 ERA, .94 WHIP, .212 BAA for Haren.

One of the main things these two bring to the table though is toughness. They are both workhorses, and they both are experienced veterans who don't get rattled too easily. If LAA can sneak into the playoffs, these two will be a great one-two punch in the postseason.

5. Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees

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NEW YORK, NY - MAY 24: Curtis Granderson #14 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI single in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on May 24, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images)

The difference between Curtis Granderson this year and Curtis Granderson last year?

This year's version can hit lefties. Scratch that. He can crush lefties.

2010: 158 AB/10 R/4 HR/12 RBI/.234 AVG/.647 OPS

2011: 67 AB/16 R/9 HR/19 RBI/.299 AVG/1.108 OPS

Huh? Where did that come from? I have no clue, but it has totally transformed his game. Granderson is a legitimate threat to hit 45 HR's and steal 20 bases. The only thing keeping him this low on the list is his average—a paltry .272. That is not MVP material.

4. Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox

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NEW YORK, NY - MAY 14: Josh Beckett #19 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees on May 14, 2011 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Dominant.

That's what Josh Beckett was from April 10th until May 24th. A streak of nine starts where he only let up nine total runs. Nine. Insane. Of course, the Sox offense didn't help him out—he won only four games in that stretch.

Beckett has cooled off in his last two starts, but his ERA is tops in the league, and he is pitching for a perennial contender. If he can finish with about 20 wins and a sub 2.50 ERA, he will garner some MVP attention (only if the Red Sox win the AL East).

3. Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MAY 16: Asdrubal Cabrera #13 of the Cleveland Indians in action during the game against the Kansas City Royals on May 16, 2011 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

I don't know what is more bizarre: The Cleveland Indians own the best record in the American League, or that their second baseman/shortstop—he of the career high SIX homeruns in a season—is a leading MVP candidate.

What Cabrera is doing is shocking. He is one HR short of doubling his career high in homeruns, and it is only the beginning of June! The average has always been there for Asdrubal, but the RBI production and power has come out of nowhere.

Cabrera is just another example of a hitter reaching their potential when they turn 27. With Cleveland in first place, and Asdrubal as their anchor, he deserves a mention in the top three of this list.

2. Adrian Gonzalez/David Ortiz, Boston Red sox

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BOSTON, MA - MAY 30: Adrian Gonzalez #28 of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by teammate David Ortiz #34 after Gonzalez hits a a solo home run in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox on May 30, 2011 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

This tag team has been sensational. After the Red Sox started the season 2-10, they were looking anywhere for a boost. That boost came in the form of A-Gon and Big Papi on offense, with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz doing the heavy lifting for the pitchers.

After a slow April power wise, A-Gon quickly found his stroke in May, putting together one of the greatest months in Red Sox history—22 R/9 HR/31 RBI/.341 AVG. The Red Sox have found their answer for the middle of their lineup.

Papi followed in Adrian's footsteps, posting a similarly terrific 17 R/10 HR/16 RBI/.342 AVG line. After his atrociously slow start last year, putting up big numbers in April and May is huge for David's confidence.

With these two guys in the heart of their lineup, the Red Sox are almost impossible to pitch to.

1. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

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TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 9: Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits during MLB action against the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre May 9, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

Bautista is straight smashin' the ball right now.

Everything about his numbers would make a statistician salivate:

175 AB/46 R/20 HR/40 RBI/49 BB/30 K's/.360 AVG/.504 OBP/1.270 OPS

Take a look at that again. And no, that is not a misprint—he actually has 49 walks and only 30 strikeouts. Those numbers are so crazy that pitchers don't even know what to do anymore. His OBP is above .500! He is getting on base one out of every two times he gets up to the plate!

These numbers are just unheard of. Notice his AB's are a little lower than a few other candidates, which is because he missed a few games to injury at the beginning of the season. Still on pace for 60 plus HR's.

I know I'm going on about the numbers, but there is one more I must share: Bautista's WAR (wins over replacement) is five. The second best? 3.1.

This MVP discussion is over.

Bautista wins it in a runaway.