Few years have seen a race that is this wide open. The 2008 American League MVP race has no fewer than ten solid candidates, and nobody has the slightest clue who the "real favorite" is going to be.
This year is distinguished by three interesting developments:
First, numbers are down across the board. Way down. No player in the American League was able to hit 40 HR — a shocking development to say the least.
Second, the National League was far better this year, and several players from it would have easily won the award if they were competing in the American League pool.
Finally, most of the top candidates find themselves sharing the spotlight with a teammate. In fact, of the ten players most likely to win, six of them are joined by someone else from their squad. This will make things difficult for some of the most statistically impressive hitters.
With that in mind, here are the ten best candidates to pick from. They are listed in reverse order of who is most deserving.
