Thoughts on AL MVP
There’s only one more month of baseball left to watch. I know, it’s extremely depressing. Thankfully, we have some ridiculous arguments to discuss to keep our minds off of the regular season coming to an end. One in particular is the AL ROY-AL MVP debate. According to whatever AL team you root for, your opinion is going to be a little biased. WHAT!? FANS ARE BIASED?! Yes, we are the worst when deciding who wins an award. Which is why I have an opportunity to spew out who I think are the current AL MVP candiates. Hopefully some of the baseball writers read this (Spoiler Alert: they won’t) and decide based off my suggestions. Which again, they won’t.
1. Mike Trout – Michael Nelson Trout. I really don’t have to say anything more. Ever since he was called up to help the Angels, he’s been on a tear. If Trout doesn’t do well, the team doesn’t win. Simple as that. Problem is, Trout and Cabrera are tied for the number one spot. Of course, I’m biased so I think Trout should win it. He’s currently leading the league in SB, AVG (not by much, though) and runs. However, Cabrera is right on his tail in some of those categories. Especially stolen bases. HAHA YOU THOUGHT I WAS SERIOUS! Oh you knew I was joking?....
2. Miguel Cabrera – Miguel “Miggy Poco” Cabrera. I honestly think Cabrera has an honest shot at winning this thing. That, and I don’t want him to read this and come back to the Cave and toss me down the death slide (that was a reference to the video we did with him). Miggy is leading the league in SLG and OPS. He’s also leading the league in WINNING OVER YOUR HEART! What is going to be the final factor in this whole crazy debate is post-season play. If the Angels make the Postseason, Trout wins. If the Thunder cats head to the promise land, Cabrera gets it. BUT WHAT DO I KNOW?!? I’M JUST A CAVE DWELLER.
3. Fernando Rodney – Rodney has come a LONG way from last season. I only say that because he flew like 2,000 miles to join a new club. That, and he wasn’t really playing that much with the Angels. This season with the Rays, Rodney is absolutely destroying it, with a 0.72 ERA, a WHIP of 0.80 and batting average against of.176. The closer role has been pivotal during the Rays' current push towards the promised land. Also, I don’t want him to shoot one of those arrows at me. As you can see, I’m a terrified human being.
4. Josh Hamilton – You can’t have an MVP discussion and not put Hamilton up for talks. Here's my thing, Hamilton is killing it. 38 homers as of right now, with a .588 slugging percentage, AND he leads the AL with 114 RBIs. Solid numbers. But does that make him the MVP of the league? The Rangers' offense is absolutely insane. If Josh has a bad day (or month), they have players like Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young and 20 other players to step up and take charge. The team CAN win without Hamilton which kind of hinders his MVP chances.
So those are just four players who I think have a shot at the MVP title. Of course, there are probably others who you think deserve the MVP title, but I don’t know who they are. So why don’t you tell me over on Twitter at @iBlogBetter or @MLBFanCave. Always open to hear why I’m wrong too. Cause I usually am. Hence, why I’m a homer.