MLB Awards: 2017 American League MVP Ballot

 The American League was home to some of the more impressive performances in MLB this year. Which player deserves to take home the MVP award this year?

Every MLB award has its own value. They signify that, in whatever area, that player was the best in the game, or at the position, that season. While we may attach more significance to certain awards, each one is prestigious in its own way.

And yet, few awards capture the imagination like the MVP award. Maybe it is because of what it signifies – that the player receiving it was voted as the most valuable to his team of anyone else in the league. More often than not, it also refers to the best player in the league, although that is not always the case. Sometimes, value does not always equate to the best player in the league, leading to the age old question of what the MVP award truly signifies.

Personally, I consider the MVP award to be a vote for exactly what it says – the most valuable player in the league. Let’s face it – if the award was given to the best player in the league, we may as well keep it on Mike Trout‘s mantle for the next decade.

This year, there were quite a few worthy candidates for the award. Let us take a look at the top five players on my AL MVP ballot.