Believe the Hype: Justin Morneau Will Win the AL MVP Award

Maybe he isn't the most powerful hitter—or the most dominant—but Justin Morneau is one of the best and most consistent players in the entire MLB.

The Twins aren't known for being one of the better teams in the league, but they are definitely one of the more respected. They do the best with what they have, and don't go out and complain about it.

Minnesota has an absolute star in Justin Morneau, a 28-year-old former MVP from New Westminster, Canada. As I mentioned, Morneau won the 2006 AL MVP award.

In 47 games this season, Justin has hit for a .347 average, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, and has walked a whopping 25 times. These are great numbers for a guy who has barely played a quarter of the season.

Maybe his numbers aren't as good as Evan Longoria's, Jason Bay's, or Torii Hunter's, but all three of those player's have teammates around them that are heavy contributors as well.

What do the Twins have? They have Joe Mauer, who missed a big chunk of the early part of this season. They also have Michael Cuddyer, who missed the majority of last year.

Justin Morneau, often times, has to contribute for most of the Twins lineup. He has been the catalyst for the Twins for several years now.

In his career, Morneau has 146 home runs, 430 runs, and 564 RBI. It is clear that he has been a very consistent player since he has started playing for the Minnesota Twins.

I wrote an article last year about why Morneau should win the MVP award. Unfortunately, Justin came up shy of winning his second award in his career. I, believe, that this is his year to finally bring home his second.

Justin is on pace to have nearly 50 home runs, 150 RBI, and 140 runs. These numbers would for sure win Morneau the MVP trophy. He just needs to continue on his pace of dominance.

It's too early in the season to tell what will happen, but I am putting my early bid in the hat for Justin Morneau. Anything could happen from this point on.

Nobody can deny that Justin is in the top five for AL MVP candidates as of today. If you think otherwise, you must be a White Sox fan.