Devin:American League's Top 5 Players

These are in my opinion the top 5 non-pitchers in the MLB American League. They are in no particular order, but if you disagree let me know why!

OF - Jose Bautista-Blue Jays--This one is pretty undeniable. I don’t know of anyone who would leave him off of this list. After exploding onto the scene last year with an incredible 54 HR, 124 RBI, (pretty amazing at only 6’0 195 lbs) and his first All-Star game appearance his game demanded respect. This year he is again on pace to reach those number with 33 HR and 73 RBI at this point. He also set the record for most All-Star votes with 7,454,753; beating the old record by over 1 million votes! His defense is strong as well, playing 70 games at RF and 25 at 3B with a fielding % of .978! Not too many weakness’s in his game.

OF - Josh Hamilton-Rangers--Hamilton is just as strong defensivly as he is offensivly, easily a top 5 defender in the outfield. He has had a few injuries this year and has only played in 74 games so far, which is why his stats aren’t on par with last year. He is still batting .308% with 59 RBI and 13 HR, better than a lot of healthy players who have played all season. When healthy Hamilton is a threat in every aspect, and an obvious MVP candidate.

3B - Evan Longoria-Devil Rays--Arguably the best defensive third baseman in the MLB right now. He won the Fielding Bible Award in 2010 as the top 3rd baseman defensively. Didn’t make the All-Star game this year due to America still being on A-Rods baseballs! He has been the cornerstone of the Rays franchise for the past 4 years. His offensive stats wont ‘wow’ you, but they are very solid. He’ll get his team a good 25 HR and 100 RBI a year. And at only 25 he will only get better!

1B - Mark Teixeira-Yankees--Defense seems to be the agenda for today! Teixeira has plenty of that to go along with his huge offensive outputs this season. He has accounted for only 2 errors this season with a .998 fielding percentage. He is also a very good switch hitter (He broke the switch hitting HR record this year with 12) which makes him hard to pitch to. His batting average is down, but I believe he will bring that up to round out the year. Even still he is on pace for 50HR and 140 RBI which would be his best season to date.

1B - Adrian Gonzalez-Red Sox--Gonzalez has meant more to his team than just about anyone else in the MLB, excluding Bautista. He has carried the Red Sox at times with his offense, batting .356 (top in the AL) with 18 HR and 92 RBI. In the month of June he was named the AL Player of the Month, hitting an incredible average of .401!

Honorable Mention:

OF - Curtis Granderson-Yankees-Having a huge season with 28 HR and 85 RBI! Probably should have made the list, but I’ll be honest…I HATE the Yankees!!

1B - Miguel Cabrera-Tigers--All-Star season for Cabrera, hitting 22 HR and 69 RBI so far. He is in the top 10 of every triple crown catergory.

Feel free to comment and tell me if you agree or disagree. Who did I miss and who shouldn’t be on here.