AL MVP leaders
With just over a month to go in the regular season the play-off races are heating up and with that so is the race to be the league’s MVP.
New York, Tampa Bay and Boston are battling it out in the American League East, whilst Minnesota and Chicago are fighting it out in the American League Central. The only division not to have a race looks like the American League West, where the Texas Rangers hold an 8.5-game lead over the Oakland Athletics.
And it’s normally those players involved in play-off races who are candidates for the MVP, and this year it’s no exception. Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Joe Mauer and Carl Crawford are all involved in the race for a play-off place with their respective teams and also for MVP honours, but there is one more player who needs to be added to the list.
Miguel Cabrera has been lighting up the league ever since he became a professional in 2003 and this year has been no exception. He’s in the top-five of nearly every batting statistic and is so far putting together the best season of his career.
But Cabrera is playing for the Detroit Tigers a team who sit nine games out of first position in the Central and a substantial 14.5 games out in the wildcard. Can he realistically be the league’s MVP while not being in a play-off race? Yes he can, it's just there is one other player playing for a championship contender who is having a slightly better year.
The Rangers’ Josh Hamilton, simply put, is having a monster year and not even Cabrera’s .340 BA, 31 HR’s, 104 RBI’s, .638 SLG and 1.072 OPS might be good enough to take the MVP from the 29-year-old outfielder.
Yes, Hamilton’s numbers are marginally worse than Cabrera’s - .354 BA, 30 HR’s, 92 RBI’s, .631 SLG, and 1.309 OPS – but Hamilton is leading the Texas Rangers to the play-offs and provides exceptional defence in the outfield. Cabrera at best gives you average defence at first base and in MVP voting that cannot be underestimated.
Both players are having special years but unless Hamilton has a complete meltdown and the Rangers lose their lead to the Athletics, it’s hard to see how Hamilton doesn’t win this year’s AL MVP.
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