In the American League, a wide variety of veteran stars and recent sensations could qualify as the league’s Most Valuable Player.
The MVP debate is always highly contested. Usually, the award will go to the league’s best player, regardless of his team’s standing. After all, Andre Dawson won the NL MVP in 1987 when his Cubs finished with just 76 wins.
The MVP also can be awarded to the most valuable player on a playoff club, even if that player might not have the most impressive stats in the league. Jimmy Rollins won the NL MVP in 2007 with a .296 average because he got hot and led the Phillies to their first NL East title since 1993. And while Rollins’ season was certainly MVP worthy, Atlanta’s Chipper Jones (.337 average and 102 RBIs) and Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder (50 home runs, 1.013 OPS) arguably had better offensive numbers but played for sluggish ballclubs.
All that said, here are eight American League MVP candidates in 2010, with each one representing a different team.
Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Many scouts questioned Hamilton’s durability after he hit 28 home runs in the first round of the 2008 All-Star Home Run Derby and then tailed off in the second half of the season.
Hamilton has put those questions to rest in 2010. The Rangers’ center fielder entered play Thursday leading the AL with a .357 average to go along with 23 home runs, 75 RBIs and a whopping 1.031 OPS. He’s arguably been the most feared left-handed hitter in baseball this year, as he’s led the Rangers to a comfortable lead in the AL West.
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
The last AL MVP to play for a non-playoff team (besides Frank Thomas with the 1994 White Sox in a strike year) was Cal Ripken, who played for the 67-win Baltimore Orioles in 1991.
While Cabrera’s team is certainly not as bad as Ripken’s was, the Tigers are quickly falling out of playoff contention.
But that has little to do with Cabrera. The 27-year-old leads the AL in RBIs with 93 in addition to a .346 average (second behind Hamilton) and 26 home runs. ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau rate Cabrera as the No. 1 player in baseball.
Delmon Young, Minnesota Twins
Everyone knew Delmon Young had five-tool talent when he was a young prospect coming up for the Tampa Bay Rays. The problem was he could never quite put it all together on the field.
That was until October 2009, when Young sparked the Twins to a huge comeback over the Detroit Tigers to take home the AL Central in the 163rd game of the season. Young went 10-for-22 with three homers, 10 RBIs and an astounding 1.409 OPS in the final five games on the year.
His success has carried over to 2010. Due to an injury to Justin Morneau and little production from Joe Mauer — who are both former MVPs for the Twins — Young has stepped up his game in order to carry the Twins in the heat of a competitive AL Central race. The 24-year-old is fifth in the AL with a .331 average and has 14 home runs, 83 RBIs and 33 doubles.
Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox knew that they’d be getting a veteran third baseman with a little pop and a great arm when they signed Beltre to a one-year deal in January.
What they didn’t know is that Beltre would be having a career-resurrecting year in Fenway Park.
Beltre, one of the few Red Sox Opening Day starters to have stayed healthy all season, is fourth in the AL with a .337 average, 53 points above his career .274 mark. He’s also added 19 home runs, a .940 OPS and leads the team with 135 hits and 31 doubles.
Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Before 2010, Jose Bautista was a big league journeyman playing for his fourth team, and had 92 home runs in his six-year career.
But this year, Bautista leads the majors with 33 dingers, five more than his next closest competitor, the Nationals’ Adam Dunn.
Bautista made his first All-Star team in 2010, and is one of the main reasons why the Toronto Blue Jays, despite the loss of Roy Halladay, have remained a winning ballclub all season long.
Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox
At 34 years old, many thought that Konerko was on the tail end of a solid big league career. On the contrary, the White Sox’ first baseman is having arguably the best season of his 14-year stint in the majors.
Konerko already has 27 home runs in 2010, one shy of his 2009 total. His .300 average, .960 OPS and 76 RBIs have led Chicago to the top spot in the AL Central, after the White Sox were 9 1/2 games back in the division on June 9.
Robinson Cano, New York Yankees
After a breakout 2006 season in which he hit .342, Cano didn’t live up to expectations as the Yankees’ second baseman until 2009, when he hit .320.
In 2010, Cano is putting all the doubters to rest. The 27-year-old has been the best player on the best team in baseball all year, posting a .325 average with 21 homers and 71 RBIs. Cano has learned to use the gaps to his advantage this year, with 30 doubles, three triples and a career-high .564 slugging percentage.
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays
In what may be his final season as a Tampa Bay Ray, Crawford is doing everything in his power to ensure that he gets paid big money as a free agent this winter.
The outfielder has a surprising .841 OPS, 63 points higher than his career .778 mark. He’s also added 12 homers, 24 doubles, seven steals and 38 stolen bases as the best player on a Rays team that has held onto a playoff spot for the majority of the season.
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