With about six weeks remaining in the MLB season, most of the key awards are becoming extremely tight. This will add intrigue to a season that will feature little-or-no-drama in many of the division races unlike the past two seasons. Here is my take on the AL MVP.
AL MVP:
1) Miguel Cabrera
Stats: .360 AVG, .452 OBP, .689 SLG, 40 HR, 120 RBI, 89 R, 306 TB, 72 BB
Cabrera looked at his 2012 numbers and scoffed at it. He took a phenomenal season and added creatine to it. He does it with hand-eye coordination that is equivalent to Albert Pujols which enables him to swing at pitches on his fists and deposit it into the left-field bleachers. I have been a huge Trout supporter because of his superior all-around skills but if you take Cabrera off the Tigers they are not nearly the team they are. He even improved his defense and he has played injured which elevates his legacy. It would take a serious Tigers collapse or critical injury to knock him off this pedastal.
2) Chris Davis-
Stats: .306 AVG, .383 OBP, .688 SLG, 89 R, 45 HR, 115 RBI, 35 2b, 55 BB, 306 TB
Chris Davis is having a season that is straight out of 1998. He has struck out once every 2.98 at bats, but continues to hit home runs at an incredible rate. He is on pace for 61 home runs, and has a great chance of it considering his protection in the lineup. Davis has kept the Orioles afloat in the challenging AL East and deserves credit for that. In order for him to be No. 1 on this list, however, he would need to A) lead them to the division crown and B) Cabrera would need to falter greatly in the second half. They have gone back-and-forth the entire season and it is comical that they can continue at a rate that appeared unsustainable in a year that offense is down to its lowest totals since 1992.
3) Mike Trout–
Stats: .333 AVG, .430 OBP, .574 SLG, 88 R, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 28-for-32 SB, 269 TB
In almost any other era, Mike Trout could have won back-to-back MVPs in his first two full seasons in the big leagues. Obviously, last year it took a historic season from Cabrera to wrestle it away from him in the last week. This season, the Angels are mired in mediocrity which will make it difficult for him to overcome the top two candidates. Nevertheless, Trout is the most well-rounded player in the MLB and he will be atop this list for years to come.
