Joe Mauer -150 to win American League MVP Award

The American League MVP figures to be a two horse race between the Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. Both have had outstanding seasons and you could make a case for either one. However, the two players have a few things working against them in order to be the clear cut favorite and either choice would be a good one in my opinion. Derek Jeter is also a threat but hasn’t put up the kind of production of Mauer and Teixeira.

Joe Mauer -150:

Joe Mauer is by far the best catcher in the Major Leagues both offensively and defensively. Not only that, but Mauer is also one of the best overall players in Major League Baseball. Mauer has put up great numbers in 2009 even having missed a whole month of the season back in April. Mauer is hitting .367 which leads the majors and has hit 26 homeruns and 80 RBI’s. Mauer also leads the entire Major Leagues in slugging percentage and on-base percentage. What could hurt Mauer is the fact that he did miss a whole month which is why his homerun and RBI totals are a little low. Also, Mauer could get ousted out of winning the MVP due to the fact that the Twins are probably not going to make it to the playoffs. They are seven games behind the Tigers in the AL Central and 10.5 games behind Boston for the AL Wild Card. Sometimes when you’re team isn’t in contention, the voters choose someone who has led their team to a great season.

Mark Teixeira +200:

If Mauer does get snubbed due to his team’s lack of success, Mark Teixeira of the Yankees will probably take home the hardware. Teixeira’s average is a little low for an MVP candidate at .281 but he leads the American League in RBI’s with 101 and is second in homeruns with 32. Teixeira has been a big part of the Yankees’ success this year as they are the best team in baseball and lead the Boston Red Sox in the AL East by a hefty 8 game margin. With being the best player on the best team, Teixeira could be a nice bet at +200 to win the AL MVP. Another thing that can’t be overlooked is Teixeria’s defensive excellence. He has only committed one error this entire season at first base. However, having another MVP candidate in Derek Jeter on his team could hurt his chances. Voters could say that Teixeira has gotten too much help from his supporting cast in leading the Yankees to such extraordinary heights. However, he is a great player and has a nice shot at being the Most Valuable Player in the American League.

Other Candidates to Consider:

Derek Jeter +300 and Miguel Cabrera +400

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