With the dog days of August coming to a close and October on the horizon, various Major League Baseball races are beginning to heat up. Among them is the race for the American League Most Valuable Player trophy. Below is a list of the top five candidates for the honor, and how they stack up against each other as September looms.
1.) Curtis Granderson, Yankees CF (36 HR, 103 RBI, .278 AVG, 119 Runs)
Before the start of the season, Granderson figured in as the 6th hole hitter in the stacked Yankees lineup. Since then, Granderson has put together an amazing season while manning the sacred centerfield for New York. Although Granderson is benefited by hitting in front of Mark Texiera and Alex Rodriguez, he has been one of the pivotal reasons why the Yankees are once again one of the best teams in baseball. Even with injuries to Rodriguez and an early season slump from Derek Jeter, the Yankees have remained neck and neck with the Boston Red Sox in the race for the AL East crown; and Granderson’s league leading 103 RBI’s are a huge reason for that.
2.) Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox 1B (23 HR, 102 RBI, .348 AVG, 181 Hits)
This past off season the Red Sox made the biggest splash in baseball in landing the power hitting Gonzalez from the Padres in a trade for prospects (Anthony Rizzo?!?). With the help of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, the opposite field specialist has been able to amass a career high in hits and the leagues top batting average. The only thing that is separating Gonzalez and Granderson in a (literally) neck and neck race for MVP is Gonzalez’s power numbers. Stay tuned to this race because it could actually come down to which team wins the AL East and which secedes to the Wild Card that decides this years MVP winner.
3.) Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox 2B (16 HR, 69 RBI, .307 AVG, 24 Steals)
Pedroia, the Red Sox scrappy second baseman and former MVP winner is once again in the race for the leagues top performer. This season Pedroia is seeing an increase in steals and walks while still hitting plenty of home runs and doubles at the top of the Red Sox order. Pedroia’s season may be slightly overshadowed by that of teammate Adrian Gonzalez, but don’t be surprised to see Pedroia make a late season push for MVP as the Red Sox battle it out with the Yankees for the AL East.
4.) Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox CF (23 HR, 81 RBI, .312 AVG, 162 Hits)
Four spots down the list and we have our third Boston player. After missing all but 18 games last season due to injury, the 27 year old Red Sox outfielder has put together a career year. His 23 home runs is 14 more than his previous career high as are his 81 RBIs. Similar to Pedroia, Ellsbury’s monster season is being overshadowed by Gonzalez’s, but the young centerfielder should not be overlooked; a dual threat outfielder is hard to come by, and the Red Sox seem to have the best of the bunch.
5.) Justin Verlander, Tigers P (19-5, 2.28 ERA, 212 SO, 0.878 WHIP)
Verlander, Detroits ace starting pitcher, is cruising to his first career Cy Young award, and he still could steal the MVP from the four position players in the race. The Tigers All-Star is having a dream season, with 19 wins before the first day of September (and his second career no hitter to boot), Verlander has steamrolled the competition night in and night out. Unfortunately, the MVP voters have historically veered away from pitchers when deciding who gets the award. However, with a strong finish and 22+ wins, Verlander could still become the first pitcher to win the MVP since Dennis Eckersley did it for the Oakland Athletics in 1992 (Eckersley finished that season with a 7-1 record and 51 saves that season).
Honorable Mentions: Jose Bautista
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