MLB Awards: 5 Early Candidates for AL MVP
With ten weeks of the Major League Baseball regular season officially in the books, we will take a look at the early candidates for AL MVP.ย
The following five AL players are enjoying spectacular 2011 seasons.
If the season ended today, this would be a reasonably fair MVP ballot.
Of course, things will inevitably change between now and the end of September. For all I know, none of the guys on this list will be crowned the 2011 AL MVP.ย
You may be surprised to find thatย there areย noย New York Yankees on this list, despite the fact that the Yankees lead all American League teams in home runs and slugging percentage. They also rank second in runs and are third in wins.ย Had we instead expanded this list to 10 players, then Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira would have certainly made appearances.
5. Kyle Farnsworth, CL, Tampa Bay Rays
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Kyle Farnsworth was exactly who you expected to see at No. 5, right?ย ย
Nowย 35 years old and in his 13th big league season, Farnsworth has truly been invaluable to Tampa Bay.ย ย
The Rays have won 11 one-run games, the most of any AL team, in large part because of Farnsworth's clutch pitching.ย
In his first year with Tampa Bay, Farnsworthย is 13-for-13 in save opportunities and has allowed just three earned runs in 23 innings (1.17 ERA). He is also 2-0 on the year and has an impressive WHIP of just 0.70.
It may be safe to say that Farnsworth has little to no chance ofย maintaining this incredible kind of brilliance on the mound through the rest of this season. However, it is tough to that he has not been of the most valuable players to his respective team in the AL, up this point.
Unfortunately, nobody in Tampa Bay seems to have noticed. Despite the fact that the Rays are just three games out of first place in theย tough AL East, Tampa Bay currently ranks dead last in the league in attendance. ย
4. Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
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Before the season started, it was unclear whether Joyceย would even be an everyday starter for Tampa Bay.ย But after just 10 weeks, Joyce has shockingly emerged into an MVP candidate.ย
Theย 26-year-old outfielder had a very nice April to begin the season, hitting .321 with two home runs and 10 doubles. Then, he had a monster May, hitting .414 with seven home runs and 21 RBI, including an OPS of 1.229.
Joyce currently ranks among the top three in the A.L. in batting average (.338), Wins Above Replacement (3.4), slugging percent (.597) and OPS (.997).ย
Prior to this season, Joyce's career was plagued by injuries. In fact, he has yet to play more than 92 games in a regular season.ย
Now, finally healthy for the first time, Joyce is already very close to reaching his career highs in home runs, RBI and total bases, and we are barely into the second week of June.
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers
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Miguel Cabrera (.322, 13 HR, 45 RBI)ย is having a typicalย year for his standards, which means another MVP-type year.
Cabrera leads the AL in intentional walks and isย second in the AL in On Base Percentage (.442), OPS (1.026) andย Wins Above Replacement (3.4).ย
The Detroit Tigers, as a team, began the season with a record of just 12-17, but they have gone 21-11 sinceย to pull withinย just a game and a half ofย first place in the AL Central.ย
However, if the Tigers once again fail to make the postseason, then Cabrera will likely finish between second and fifth in MVP voting for the fifth time in his career.
2. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Boston Red Sox
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From 2007-10, Gonzalez was the only major threat in the San Diego Padres' lineup.ย
The first overall pick of the 2000 MLB Amateur Draft, Gonzalezย was stuck on an offensively challenged Padres team and received very few good pitches to hit per game.ย
But after being traded to the Boston Red Sox before the start of the season, Gonzalez has suddenly found himself in the middle ofย one of the mostย potent offensiveย lineupsย in all of baseball.ย As a result, opposing pitchers are less willing to pitch around him.
He has been much more aggressive at the plate, which has paid off.ย In fact, afterย walking 212 times over the pastย two seasons, Gonzalez is on pace forย just 54 walks this season.ย
Gonzalez currently leads the AL in hits (84), RBI (53) and total bases (142). He is also third in the league in batting average (.335).ย
As a left-handed hitter that frequently hits the ball the other way, Gonzalez has also made use of the green monster, which has certainly helped contribute to his high batting average.
Best of all, even when Gonzalez has an off night, his teammates can pick up the slack.ย His supporting cast ofย David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Carl Crawford, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew is miles better than whatย he had in San Diego. ย
After a slow start, the Red Sox, all of a sudden, have the best record in the AL, and are a team that nobody wants to face in the postseason.
1. Jose Bautista, RF, Toronto Blue Jays
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After aย fantastic 2010 display that seemingly came out of nowhere (.260, .378, .617), many felt thatย Bautista had no chance of maintaining his dominance at the plate.ย
Incredibly,ย Bautista is on pace for even better numbers season this year (.348,ย .502, .723). ย
Bautistaย leads all major league hitters in on base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs (20) and Wins Above Replacement (3.5).
He has helped keep Toronto right around .500 all season and is the main reason that the Jays lead the AL in runs scored.ย
Even if Toronto misses the postseason, Bautista may earn MVP honors if he can continue his unbelievable play. His numbers would be simply too good to overlook, similar to Barry Bonds in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
