3 of a kind

Sporting News, The, August 18, 2003 by Roger Kuznia

The pennant races are hot in the American League, and so is the campaign for the league's top individual award.

Who will win the American League MVP?

The ballot   Jason Giambi, Yankees         Magglio Ordonez, White Sox

The basics   .266,33 home runs, 88         .313, 22 home runs, 71 RBIs,
             RBIs, 71 runs                 70 runs

Making       Giambi, who won the           He hit .429 with seven
his          award in 2000, has the best   homers and 24 RBIs in July,
Case         power numbers and the         helping Chicago leap back
             easiest remaining schedule    into the Central race. TSN's
             of these candidates.          preseason MVP pick, he
                                           always plays better after
                                           the break.

Defining     August 29-31 and              September. The White Sox
stretch      September 5-7. These final    play 22 of 25 games against
             two series against the Red    East powers Boston and New
             Sox could make Giamhi         York and Central rivals
             the champ or the chump.       Minnesota and Kansas City.

The          A career .309 hitter          Until recently, Ordonez was
slumps       entering 2003, Giambi was     only slightly behind his
             atrocious before June,        career numbers, so was that
             batting .227. An eye          really a slump?
             problem no doubt
             contributed

Breaking     The last A.L. MVP with a      He isn't even leading his
his          sub-.300 average? Don         own team in homers or RBIs.
case         Baylor in 1979.

The          He could steal the award      He has little chance--even
pick         because of the market he      if the White Sox win their
             plays in and the tendency     division--because his team
             of voters to select power     was dog meat in the first
             hitters.                      half of the season.

The ballot   Bret Boone, Mariners

The basics   .299, 29 home runs, 90 RBIs,
             82 runs

Making       He's on target for a career-best
his          home run total, yet his batting
Case         average remains around .300.
             Boone is the best clutch hitter of
             these three--batting .316 with
             10 homers and 66 RBIs when
             runners are in scoring position.

Defining     September 19-28. The Mariners
stretch      close the season with six games
             against the A's and three in
             Anaheim. If Boone performs
             well, Seattle will have a strong
             chance of winning the West.

The          He hasn't had a bad stretch yet
slumps       (unless you count his 0-for-10
             in the Home Run Derby), which
             is why the M's have been atop
             their division since mid-May.

Breaking     The last second baseman to win
his          the A.L. MVP award? Nellie Pox
case         in 1959.

The          Stand up now and take
pick         notice of Boone, who will be
             the third Mariner in the last
             seven years to be selected as
             MVP.