As the summer in major league baseball continues to steamroll along, the time comes to look ahead at potential award winners.
The 2016 AL MVP race has some added spice to it. With outstanding talents all across the board, the writers cannot really go wrong with any pick.
Division by division, there are major eye-popping candidates who all deserve to take home the award.
The last two players — Josh Donaldson (2015) and Mike Trout (2014) — who were honored with this award of dominance resided in the AL East and AL West, respectively. This year, much of the same persists.
Two divisions containing teams on opposite coasts each possess three candidates with the most flare, stardom, and box office potential. With that said, the award mostly comes down to who is the ‘best player’ rather than the ‘most valuable’.
While placing that filter would likely eliminate some candidates, take these exceptional talents for what they truly are. Furthermore, most of the individuals play an integral role on winning clubs. Simply put, no one would complain with any of the ranked studs coming away with the hardware.
So, without further adieu, let’s go ahead and rank the AL MVP frontrunners if the regular season were to end today.
The 2014 AL MVP is having a tremendous season, yet some may think of it as an afterthought. On a subpar Angels team, the 24-year-old superstar is being largely overshadowed by some of the breakout performers of 2016.
With that said, he is a formidable and irrefutable candidate if he was to be given the award. His gold glove and quick, beautiful, powerful stroke makes him one of the more admired players in the game today.
After moving from the NL to the AL, the 30-year-old made a tough transition from shortstop to center field. Well, he has made it seamlessly. Initially a question mark heading into the season, he has been an anchor to a Texas team clinging to an AL West lead.
Without Desmond, it may have been impossible for the Rangers to achieve their high watermarks of 2016. Without those watermarks, they would be looking up at the Houston Astros rather than maintaining leeway.
Desmond may not be the most glamorous choice on the list, but he defines the word ‘valuable’.
The emergence of the 24-year-old ever since he burst upon the scene in 2012 has been incredible to watch. However, while his entire body of work is impressive, his last two years have separated him as one of the best third basemen in baseball.
Put it this way: the Baltimore Orioles are nowhere near first place if it is not for his contributions. A flat-out star, he continues to wow the league with his exceptional glove and easy power at the plate.
Following an absolutely terrific 2015 AL MVP campaign, the 30-year-old has not missed a beat in 2016. One of the sole reasons the Blue Jays currently remain a playoff team, his 70 RBIs and 1.017 OPS speaks for itself.
The third baseman’s position in the voting is subject to change based on whether Toronto comes out on top in the AL East or fall out of contention altogether. Ultimately, it will be Donaldson’s continued role in their success that determines his place.
With that being said, there is a decent chance he will be bringing the rain once again this year.
Plain and simple, the man can do it all. For the last three years, Altuve has put forth a theme of excellence with his play. The MLB’s current leader in hits, batting average, and on-base percentage (.427), he has continued to lift Houston and kept them very much in the AL West race.
Standing at 5’6” tall and weighing 165 lbs, his ability to use all fields and drive the ball is a sight to see. Despite having 200 or more hits in both 2014 and 2015, Altuve is having a career year. His next home run will set a career high, only 12 more RBIs will tie a career high, and do not forget that he is nearly impossible to strike out.
The 26-year-old is on pace to strike out a mere 68 times over the course of an 162-game season. Yes, he will play all 162 games at this rate as well.
Playing in his last year in the bigs, the 40-year-old is arguably having the best year of his illustrious career. Incredibly enough, his batting average would be the highest of his career, his home run total would rank third, and his RBI total would come three short of a career-high.
Not to mention his 1.083 OPS is off the charts and currently demolishes any competition by at least 66 points. Sure, the Red Sox have some great talent throughout their 25-man roster. However, would they be contending for first-place in the AL East without Big Papi’s production? Absolutely not.
Poised to go out with a bang, the aging slugger Ortiz is putting up numbers as if he had 10 years left in the tank. Without a tail off in the final two months, he is your outright 2016 AL MVP.
Emmanuel Berbari covers the New York Yankees& Major League Baseball for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page. He invites you to emailyour questions, comments, or concerns as well.