MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 AL MVP candidates thru May

Honorable Mention

Jackie Bradley Jr. – BOS – .331/.409/.601, 28 R, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 3 SB, wRC+ 170, 2.5 WAR

Now that the 29 game hit streak has come to an end, one has to think Bradley — a career .281 hitter in Triple-A — will cool off some. He had a tremendous May, but the 26-year-old will be outclassed by a number of superior AL bats over the course of six month long season.

Xander Bogaerts – BOS – .350/.401/.516-42-6-30-7, wRC+ 154, 2.7 WAR

Leading all AL hitters in batting average entering June, the Aruban is trending towards being a .300 career hitter after finishing off 2015 with a sharp .320 BA. He and JBJ look real good right now, but don’t count out teammate Mookie Betts either. Betts is third in the AL in RBI and tied for third in home runs after swatting five in his last two contests.

Eric Hosmer – KCR – .330/.376/.553-30-10-35-4, wRC+ 151, 1.4 WAR

In his sixth full season as a pro, the 26-year-old Hosmer looks to finally have found his power stroke. In 2011 as a rookie, he hit 19 — a career high. Through less than 200 ABs in 2016, he’s already half way to that mark and has ignited a Royals lineup in late May that are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Miguel Cabrera – DET – .304/.380/.550-29-12-32-0, wRC+ 150, 1.9 WAR

Miggy can still swing the stick at 33. The two-time MVP is off to a great start in 2016. Detroit might need to be more competitive for him to gain real consideration, though fellow Tigers Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez could also be in contention.

Next: Number 5