Is Joe Mauer the leading candidate for the AL MVP award? FOX Sports thinks he is.

So who is the competition for our boy Joe? Boston Red Sox David Ortiz and New York Yankee Derek Jeter. Ortiz’s chance might be hurt a bit because the Red Sox missed out on the playoffs. So for the sake of arguement let’s discuss Jeter vs Mauer.

When talking about MVP you have to think about what this one specific player means to his team. Where would the Twins have been without Mauer? Where would the Yankees been without Jeter? You can not specifically look at stats. If you did then A-Rod would have won every MVP from 1998-2005. By looking at the stats Jeter has the advantage no doubt. But he also has a more prolific lineup around him. Jeter had more hits, homeruns, runs, rbis, at at bats that Mauer.

However, where would the Yankees have been without Jeter? My guess… first place in the AL East. They lost Matsui and Sheffield and still managed first place. Where would the Twins have been without Mauer? Maybe 3rd place in the AL Central and out of the playoffs. There’s no debate that Mauer was more important to the Twins success than Jeter was to the Yankees.

On top of that, Mauer led the league in hitting as a catcher. I don’t know what the voters are going to do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeter wins. There is a strong East Coast bias, and a lot of the baseball writers live in New York.

Anyways… Good Luck Joe! We’re rooting for you!