Top Contenders
First, we will be looking at the top contenders for the American League MVP.
Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees — Tex is currently second in the league in homers (29), third in RBIs (84), and fifth in slugging percentage (.558). Texiera traditionally puts up better numbers over the second half of the season, so one can expect to see his numbers climb a bit rather than level off down the stretch. He is hitting .324 since the break and is hitting home runs and driving in runs at a better clip than he was leading up to the break. The main plus for him is he has been the most consistent hitter on the team with the best record in the league this year. The biggest argument against him is the Yankees really did not start consistently winning until Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup.
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins — Mauer currently leads the league in average (.368), slugging (.608), on-base percentage (.435), and OPS (1.044) and is hitting .386 with runners in scoring position. He truly is in the midst of one of the all-time great seasons for a catcher. He is currently on pace for 31 homers and 103 RBIs and it would have been interesting to see what he could have achieved had he not missed the first month of the season rehabbing an injury. The main argument for Mauer winning the award is catchers are not supposed to lead the league in hitting the main argument against is the Twins are 13-12 without Mauer in the lineup and 42-46 with him in the lineup and the Twins are three games under .500 as a team.
Kendry Morales, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — Morales has essentially come out of nowhere to help lead the Angels to the top of the American League West this season. He has been garnering a lot of notice the past month leading the league with 10 homers and 27 RBIs while hitting at a .367 clip. He currently ranks sixth in the league in homers (25), ninth in RBIs (76) and second in slugging percentage (.581). While it is unlikely that he keeps hitting at this pace if he does stay hot at the plate, he could very well end up being in the top five in the league in homers and RBIs and sneak into the top 10 in hitting and steal the award away from the other candidates.
Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins — Morneau currently leads the league in RBIs (91) and is third in homers (28), slugging (.566), and OPS (.953) and owns a .300 batting average. Morneau's candidacy has slipped a bit in recent weeks as he has seen his average drop 11 points since the All-Star Break and is hitting .256 with just two home runs thus far in the month of August. The main argument for him at this stage is he is one of only two players currently ranked in the top three in the league in home runs and RBIs and he is hitting .300. He is going to lose votes to Mauer and the fact the Twins are a pretty mediocre team this year.
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers — Cabrera is the only bat in the Tigers' lineup that truly scares anyone this season and he is a big reason the team currently sits atop the American League Central division. He currently ranks fourth in the league in hitting (.324) and is on pace for 33 homers and 97 RBIs. The main argument for Cabrera is he is the only every day player hitting above .277 on the team. The thing that is going to hurt him when it comes time to vote is the lack of support around him in the lineup is killing his RBI numbers this season.
Darkhorses
These are the guys who are currently on the periphery in terms of their candidacy, but could lay claim to the award with a strong showing over the next six weeks.
Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox — Bay seems to be snapping out of his funk that saw his average plummet almost 75 points down to .250. Despite the horrendous slump, he is still eighth in homers (24) and fourth in RBIs (81). If he turns it around the last six weeks, he should have the home run and RBI numbers and if he can get his average up to a more respectable number and help the Red Sox get into the postseason, he could steal some votes.
Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox — The Red Sox are starting to drift away from being Jason Varitek's team and becoming Youkilis' team. He is hitting .311 and does whatever Terry Francona asks of him playing some left field and third base, so Victor Martinez can get his at-bats. However, getting suspended for five games when the team needs his bat in the lineup is not going to win him many votes from the writers.
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays — Longoria is currently eighth in home runs (24) and second in RBIs (85), so he should have the numbers to garner some votes if he gets average up and the Rays clinch a playoff spot. His candidacy revolves around the Rays making the postseason.
Michael Young, Texas Rangers — If the Rangers somehow manage to get into the postseason, Young is going to get some attention for the MVP award. He is currently hitting .317 with 19 homers out of the two hole in Texas and September is historically his best month for batting average, so do not expect to see a drop-off for the Texas third baseman as we head down the stretch.
Maybe Next Year
Here is the best of the rest who would warrant consideration if their teams were better or they were in a different situation.
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees — It would be interesting to see what the Yankees lineup would be like if Cano were hitting in front of Tex and A-Rod instead of behind them. He is sixth in the league in hitting, ninth in doubles, and has only whiffed 38 times this season.
Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays — Pena leads the league in homers and is on pace for his second 40-homer season in three years and would be a perennial candidate if he could ever keep his average above .280 on a regular basis.
Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays — Hill, who is currently in the top five in homers and RBIs and is hitting .289, would have gotten serious consideration had the Jays not fallen out of contention so early.
Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays — The same can be said for Lind, who is on pace for 52 doubles, 33 homers, and 103 RBIs.
Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles — Markakis is one of the best young outfielders in the game who is going to drive in 100 runs despite, in all likelihood, not hitting 20 homers.
In the end, look for Teixeira and Morales to battle it out as the Twins struggle to stay in contention in the Central. Teixeira is the slight favorite right now as he is on pace to crank out 40 homers and drive in 120 runs for the team with the best record in baseball, while Morales just does not have the name recognition or cache to edge him out right now. Of course, this could all change two or three weeks from now if Morales keeps going at the rate he is going.
This story was re-published with permission from PopPickle.
August 23, 2009
Jeff:
It’s interesting that Michael Young and Youk are included as dark horses, yet Derek Jeter isn’t.
August 24, 2009
jayson generous:
How could you not include derek jeter as a viable MVP candidate in the american league? He bats leadoff for the best team in baseball and is having one of his best offensive seasons of his career. Batting over .320 going to hit over 20 homers (which is unheard of for jeter) and his onbase percentage is thru the roof as always. He is also an up the middle infielder having another great season at shortstop. But the things that make “the captain” an MVP candidate in my opinion cannot be seen on paper. He has been the heart and soul of the yankees for 15 years now and leads by example. You will never hear derek jeter complain to the media, you will never hear him throw one of his opponents under the bus, you will never see him take a day off for some petty injury. All and all, he’s having one of the best seasons of his career and I think he should at least be considered for AL MVP.
August 25, 2009
Rick:
Jeter is arguably the front-runner at this point. It’s crazy that hes not even mentioned
August 26, 2009
Eric Engberg:
Look, I hear you on Jeter, but come on Tex is the guy getting pushed as MVP from the Yanks not Jeter. Tex is the one who got all of the credit for the team staying afloat while A-Rod was out and not Jeter.
Please keep in mind the article was posted prior to Jeter raising his average 15 or so points and getting into the top 5 in the league in hitting. I am not even sure he was in the top 10 when the article was written. Jeter probably would be a legit candidate if not for Tex being second in the league in homers and RBIs and Mauer having the kind of year that only guys like Ruth, Williams, and Gehrig have had.
September 1, 2009
Joe Perricone:
Even though Tex is the favorite especially since the Yankees are doing as well as they are, my vote would go to his replacement out in Anaheim. Kendry Morales is hitting over .300, has 30 homers and will certainally go over 100 RBI. Would’nt it be ironic! He also is playing great defense, a quality that many said would be a challenge for him at the start of the year.