The BBWAA has announced that the five finalists for the 2012 American League MVP Award are Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers, Mike Trout of the Anaheim Angels, Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees, and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.
This is the first year where finalists are announced before the winner is named. The winner will be named on November 15, 2012.
Trout and Cabrera are considered the top two candidates for the award. Beltre is viewed by most as being the MVP of the 2012 Rangers team, while Hamilton also had a strong season.
The other Rangers player who is a finalist for an award is Yu Darvish, who is a finalist for the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award, along with Trout and Yoenis Cespedes. Trout is considered to have the Rookie of the Year Award locked up. That winner will be announced on November 12.