American League MVP: This Year's Top 10 Candidates
The sky is falling in. The Cleveland Indians have the best record in baseball with a little over the quarter of the season finished. Several unlikely story lines have developed in baseball so far this year. Choosing an MVP will be difficult because no one player has really distinguished himself. Here’s a list of the potential MVPs as they stand today.
10. Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays
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Leading the league in batting average at .355 and playing on a team tied for first in arguably the toughest division in baseball, Joyce should be mentioned. At the beginning of the year, some weren’t sure if Joyce would play, considering the team had acquired Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, but Joyce showed he deserved his role as an outfielder. Joyce is first on his team in hits with 50 hits, second in doubles with 12, and fourth in RBI. He has been a valuable player in Tampa’s run to the top of the division.
9. Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
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Konerko is a veteran who always flies under the radar. Last year, he had one of his best years, with 39 home runs and 111 runs batted in. This year, like most years, Konerko is off to a great start. He is ninth in the American League with 39 hits, fourth in home runs with 10, third with 36 RBI, and besides Omar Vizquel who doesn’t play every day, he leads his team with an average at .301. The only drawback for Konerko is that he plays for a team nine games out of first place in the standings, the Chicago White Sox.
8. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox
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We have been waiting for the Red Sox outfielder to break out the last couple of years, and this year he has succeeded. The Red Sox had a slow start, but they have raised the bar of late, coming within a half game of the first place Yankees and Rays. Ellsbury is ninth in the American League in runs, seventh in hits, and is tied for fifth in doubles. Getting runners on base wins games. With 15 steals, Ellsbury is tied for having the most steals in the American League. A speedy runner produces steals and also undermines pitchers who are more focused on the runner than the batter at the plate.
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7. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
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Cabrera has had a lot of off the field issues, but that has not seemed to bother his play on the field. Cabrera is literally leading his team in every offensive category (hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, walks, batting average, slugging percentage, and on base percentage). The only categories he is not leading his team is in stolen bases and triples. He is single handedly carrying the Tigers offense this year, and his numbers are even more amazing considering other teams won’t pitch to him. He has 35 walks. Second on the team is Brennan Boesch with 15 walks. Cabrera also plays in a pitcher-friendly ballpark in Detroit.
6. Mark Teixeria, New York Yankees
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The Yankees haven’t changed much. In a recurring theme, they are in first place. This year, however, the pitching is not always there, so they have been relying heavily on their bats, and Teixeira has provided the power they have needed. Teixeira is third in the American League with 12 home runs, tied for third on the team in hits, tied for second on the team with 8 doubles, and second on the team with 29 RBI. His numbers don’t exactly pop out at you, but he has been important in making the Yankees a first-place team this year.
5. Michael Young, Texas Rangers
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In the spring, no one was sure if Young was going to even play for the Texas Rangers. Young requested a trade, but I’m sure both Young and manager Ron Washington are happy he stayed in Texas. Helping the Rangers to first in their division, Young is second in the American League in hits, tied for first in doubles, and leads his team in batting average. Young is a consistent batter who is very underrated.
4. Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
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Usually at the lead-off spot, Granderson is not your typical lead-off man. His power makes him a threat from the get-go. His newly defined batting stance has clearly made Granderson reap the benefits. Hitting 16 goners, Granderson is second in the American League in home runs, and knocking in 34 runs puts him fourth in the American League. He has also scored 34 times, tying him for third. With that short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, Granderson can pull the ball, and routine fly balls in any other park are home runs.
3. Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox
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Gonzalez is showing the Red Sox nation he is worth the seven-year, $154-million contract they signed him for. Not only does Gonzalez add hitting to the equation, he is a possible Gold Glove candidate at first base. He is top ten in almost every major hitting category in the American League (hits, doubles, runs, RBI, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and batting average), posing a possible threat to win the triple crown. Switching from a pitcher-friendly park in San Diego, Gonzalez now uses the green monster to show how well he can go the other way with ball.
2. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
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Last year, most fans thought Bautista’s run was a flash in the pan. That has most certainly proved not to be the case so far this year. Posing more of a threat to win the triple crown than Adrian Gonzalez, Bautista is a power bat no pitcher wants to face. Leading the league in home runs with 18, his .353 average puts him second in the league. With 31 RBI, he is 10 back from Adrian Gonzalez, but seventh in the league. He also has an unprecedented .500 on base-percentage.
1. Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians
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Not only does Cabrera play on the best team in baseball, as a true MVP should, but he also plays what many consider to be the toughest position, shortstop. We have all heard the saying that defense wins championships, and Cabrera provides just that. His batting average of .303 makes him third on his team, and he is second in on-base percentage only because the first place is held by teammate Robert Andino who has played 14 fewer games than Cabrera. Cabrera, however, leads all shortstops in almost every major hitting category (runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, and slugging). He even has six steals, which is second on the team. Cabrera is also leading his team in almost every hitting category as well (runs, hits, home runs, RBI, triples, and total bases). If it were not for Travis Hafner, who has played 12 fewer games than Cabrera, he would be leading in average as well. With hitting like that and pitching, the Indians are a threat to win it all.
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