MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 AL MVP candidates thru May

Through the first two months of the season, MLB awards watch time is beginning to pick up some steam. With 2/3 of the season to go, here are your top contenders in the running right now for the American League’s Most Valuable Player.

Much like defending MVP Bryce Harper in the NL, Toronto’s Josh Donaldson had a great April followed by a so-so May. Donaldson hit .292 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in the season’s opening month, but fell to a .224 clip with five taters and nine runs driven in during May.

The Blue Jays’ inconsistent play shows just how important Donaldson’s performance is to his team as well. In wins this season, he’s gone deep 10 times and has a BA of .287 with an OPS of 1.033. In losses, only three home runs with a .224 BA and a dismal OPS of .688 proves the club depends mightily on his bat.

You’re not going to see a pitcher appear on this list like in the NL version, but Chris Sale might be worthy of a fighter’s chance at being the American League’s first pitching MVP since Justin Verlander in 2011.

Next: Honorable Mention