Rocio Robles
After a month of the season has passed, we can begin putting up a Power Rankings MVP of the Major Leagues, in this case the American League. Here we leave you with Jefebet.com’s analysis of the highlights of the young circuit.
5. Byron Buxton
Much of the responsibility for the Minnesota Twins leading the American League Central Division is thanks to the performance of Byron Buxton: the outfielder who is undoubtedly a spectacle both defensively and offensively. When he’s been healthy, Buxton has shown that he is ready for big things, and this year he has already hit seven home runs with 12 RBIs in just 15 games played.
4. Ty France
The Mariners are looking to shake off the thorn of being left out of the postseason on the last day of last season. To that end, they have gotten off to a good start off the bat of Ty France. The Seattle first baseman has been unstoppable at the plate, leading the American League in hits with 31 before Wednesday’s game. In addition to that, he is second in RBIs with 21, fifth in batting average at .341 and according to Baseball-Reference is fifth in WAR at 1.3.
3. Anthony Rizzo
Many New York supporters will remark, “Blessed be the hour when the Yankees decided to sign Anthony Rizzo.” The first baseman, who played last year with the Yankees and signed as a free agent, leads all Major Leagues with nine home runs and is tied with France for second in RBIs with 21. While many didn’t expect much from the Yankees, Rizzo has taken it upon himself to make them count thanks to his 1.012 OPS: the fifth best in the young circuit.
2. José Ramírez
Jose Ramirez is more than living up to his five-year, $124 million contract extension with a great start to the season for the Guardians. The Dominican is the leader in all baseball in RBIs (28) and total bases (58), in addition to being third in the American League in home runs (7), WAR (1.5), SLG (.707), OPS (1.028) and OPS+ (231). He’s a real nightmare for the rivals.
1. Mike Trout
Mike Trout wants to shine in the Major Leagues again after injury-plagued 2020 and 2021 seasons, and boy, is he doing it. The Angels’ outfielder has been the team’s offensive spark plug, and his numbers are so even that he is among the leaders in almost every offensive category. In addition to being the leader in runs scored (17), he is second in WAR with 1.8, has been on base in 17 of his 20 games played and already has six home runs, with 11 runs batted in and a .324 average.
