2008 AL MVP to Be Announced Tuesday: Boston's Dustin Pedroia the Right Choice

One of the most hotly contested American League Most Valuable Player races in years will be announced at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday.

In a year where there were a lot of good teams with no obvious "That's the guy!" gold-star attached (in other words, A-Rod), this award could go to one of several players that have legitimate arguments.

I think this quote from Baseball Prospectus writer Joe Sheehan, when discussing the 2006 AL MVP race in August is appropriate: "The candidates for AL MVP are tightly packed and generate their value in disparate ways, so much so that even conscientious analysts will be scratching their heads deep into the offseason."

I agree, Joe. Let's do this.

The Top Three (in no particular order)

1. Dustin Pedroia (2B—Boston Red Sox)

The little engine that could, Pedroia was the fancy of many eyes because of the fact he's kinda small. The 5'9" (or 5'7" depending on whom you believe), 180-pound Arizona State University alum had a sensational sophomore season in 2008, following up on his A.L. Rookie of the Year season.

In a Red Sox season marred by major injuries to David Ortiz, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell, Pedroia never lost stride after coming out of the gates slow. He hit .326 (2nd in AL) with 17 homers and 83 RBI.

He ranked first in the league with 118 runs, 213 hits, and 54 doubles. Normally the second batter in the order, he was called upon to bat cleanup for several games and excelled at doing so, causing even Ortiz and Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen to laugh at what was happening.

Did we mention he won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and was named to start the All-Star Game?

What could hurt him: vote stealing by teammate Kevin Youkilis.

2. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez (Closer—Los Angeles Angels)

While not the most dominant closer in the game, K-Rod etched his name in the record books with a major-league record 62 saves. For you math whizzes, that's 38 percent of the freakin' season that ended with him on the mound, raising his hands to the air like he just doesn't care.

Earning third place in the AL Cy Young race, K-Rod put up a 2.24 ERA and fanned 77 batters in 68.2 innings of work. And as far as the claims he didn't pitch in close games? The Angels won 63 games by two runs or less and K-Rod saved 51 of them (82 percent of his total count) while getting the win in two others.

Working for him? Dennis Eckersley (1992) and Willie Hernandez (1984) both earned MVP honors as closers.

What could hurt him: Former MLB single-season save king Bobby Thigpen finished fifth in his dream season. He's a closer and pitchers don't usually get the respect for the MVP award as a rule.

3. Justin Morneau (1B—Minnesota Twins)

Easily the quietest MVP candidate, you don't hear much about The Big M and what's he doing for the team that has the cheap owner (Carl Pohlad) but great GM (Bill Smith and Terry Ryan before him) that overcome it.

A multiple-time All-Star and proud native of British Columbia, Canada, Morneau hit .300 with 29 homers and 129 RBI (second in AL), while scoring an impressive 97 runs. His 47 doubles led all of baseball. Also interesting: 16 intentional walks and 163 games played were both good for the league lead.

But why is the 2006 A,L MVP such a strong candidate? According to MLB.com, he also was one of just three AL players to finish the season with an average over .300 with at least 40 doubles and 100 RBI. What could hurt him: Joe Mauer's outstanding season and the same vote-stealing issues that could hurt Pedroia.

The Dark Horses 

4. Josh Hamilton (OF—Texas Rangers)

The feel-good story of the season, Hamilton had an awesome year and arguably more impressive offensive numbers than Morneau at .302 with 32 homers and 130 RBI (first in AL).

But he went into cold stretches over the year, and it's tough to give the nod to a guy on a team that didn't make the postseason. In my opinion, that's important. Regardless, you hope this is the first notch in the bedpost of a great career and that he will compete for this title again.

5. Kevin Youkilis (1B/3B—Boston Red Sox)

One of the more disliked players in baseball, Youkilis came of age offensively and stepped up even more defensively. With Lowell out for long stretches this season, Youkilis was asked to move his Gold Glove defense to third base at times and didn't miss a beat.

Injured at times, Youk played in 145 games and had career-bests in batting average (.312), home runs (29), RBI (115), and slugging percentage.

He provided some lineup stability when Ortiz was out and batted cleanup when Manny Ramirez was traded. (You heard about the Manny trade, right?)

6. Carlos Quentin (OF—Chicago White Sox)

He has no chance, but before he got injured, Quentin was having a hell of a year. He found a home at U.S. Cellular Field and hit .288 with 36 homers and 100 RBI in just 130 games. Had he not got hurt, he'd likely be the favorite. By the way, his home run total was still good for second in the AL. Wow.

So, our Pick?

Call us biased, but we have to go with Dustin Pedroia. There are so many talented guys on this list that you really can't lose either way, but all things considered, he carried a team that was without Ortiz for months and did everything he was asked, excelling offensively and defensively.

If Youkilis ends up stealing enough votes, Morneau will probably be the guy but I can't call him the league's best player this season.

But in a year where all the right guys seem to be winning the postseason awards, Pedroia will make it a clean sweep.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others.

He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at [e-mail].