The American League MVP was won by Josh Hamilton(notes) of the Texas Rangers in 2010. Hamilton hit .359 while adding 32 homeruns and 100 RBI’s to help carry the Rangers to their first pennant in team history. Hamilton had a solid season in 2011, but nothing like 2010. However, in 2011 the Rangers had many players have phenomenal seasons. Most likely the Rangers will not have anyone in the top five when the MVP is announced today. However, these are the players who were the MVP’s of the Rangers in 2011.

Michael Young(notes)

Michael Young will most likely be the Rangers’ player with the most votes today and much of that is due to the hype that Ron Washington started when he referred to him as “MVP.” Young had a great season, hitting .338 with 11 homeruns and 106 RBI’s. He was phenomenal at the plate, hitting at different spots in the lineup and carrying the offense for periods when Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz(notes), Adrian Beltre(notes) and Mike Napoli(notes) were on the disabled list. However, it is hard to win an MVP as a one dimensional player these days and at this point in his career that is what Young is. Yes, it was great that he was able to fill in for Beltre at third base when Beltre was on the disabled list and he also played at first and second, but he was still mainly a DH. When Young was on the field, his defense struggled and while the MVP talk may get him into the top 10 in voting this year, it probably stole votes from guys like Ian Kinsler(notes) who should have been considered much more.

Ian Kinsler

Ian Kinsler is one of those players that you really cannot appreciate without watching him play on a regular basis. His defense is top notch and the only reason he did not win a Gold Glove in 2011 was that Dustin Pedroia(notes) was phenomenal as well. Kinsler, however was not just a force defensively, but added 32 homeruns from the leadoff position and 30 stolen bases while compiling a .355 OBP. He walked at a rate of 1.25 to every strikeout and was excellent from the leadoff position. Yes, someone who hits .255 is not going to win an MVP award, but Kinsler was a complete player in 2011 and contributed as much as anyone to the success of the Rangers.

Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre was well on his way to being in consideration for the MVP when he went down with his hamstring injury and ultimately lost six weeks of the season. Beltre won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at third base in 2011 and hit .296 with 32 homeruns and 105 RBI’s. His homerun and RBI totals would have been significantly higher if he had not lost six weeks of the season and his play at third base was the best in the league. Just like Kinsler, Beltre was unbelievable at the plate and in the field.

Mike Napoli

If a pitcher like Justin Verlander(notes) can be considered for MVP, then a catcher who only played 113 games should be able to be considered as well. Napoli was huge for the Rangers in 2011 and while he did not play in as many games as guys like Young or Kinsler, what he did in the games he was involved in more than made up for it. Napoli hit .320 with 30 homeruns and had a ridiculous 1.046 OPS. After the all-star break Napoli hit .383 with 18 homeruns and 42 RBI’s. However, in my opinion what was most important about Napoli was what he did behind the plate in 2011. In 2011, Napoli had a 42-15 record when catching, which translates to a .737 winning percentage. He was essential to the success of the Rangers’ young pitchers. If you consider that Verlander was involved in 34 games this season and Napoli was involved in 113, then Napoli should be in consideration as well. Unfortunately, that will not be the case.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

.up next

at Rangers

What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup.

Head to head

Rangers won season series 5-4

(H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5

(H) May 31: Rays win 5-4

(H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0

(A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0

(A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1

(A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2

(H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1

(H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0

(H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4

Memorable games

May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory.

Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings.

Sept. 7: Rays win 5-4. Rookie OF Desmond Jennings rips a walkoff homer in the 10th inning to give the Rays their 1,000th franchise win. The Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler forced extra innings with a solo homer in the ninth, spoiling a victory for LHP David Price.

Key hitters

2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals.

UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season.

Key pitchers

LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts).

RHP Koji Uehara: Uehara, acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, has combined with fellow mid-year acquisition RHP Mike Adams to form a formidable one-two punch for the seventh and eighth innings. Opponents are hitting .048 against Uehara in September.

Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA.

Who’s hot vs. Rays

Michael Young

.292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games

Who’s not vs. Rays

Josh Hamilton

.229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games.

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

.up next

at Rangers

What’s new: The Rangers, the AL West champions, are red-hot, having won 14 of their last 16 games. They have plenty of power, with five players boasting at least 25 homers — 2B Ian Kinsler (32), ex-Ray OF Josh Hamilton (25), 3B Adrian Beltre (32), C Mike Napoli (30) and OF Nelson Cruz (29), who has been slumping since returning from a hamstring injury. But Rays manager Joe Maddon says it’s their pitching, specifically their revamped bullpen (see RHPs Mike Adams and Koji Uehara), that makes them such a difficult matchup.

Head to head

Rangers won season series 5-4

(H) May 30: Rangers win 11-5

(H) May 31: Rays win 5-4

(H) June 1: Rangers win 3-0

(A) Aug. 30: Rangers win 2-0

(A) Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1

(A) Sept. 1: Rangers win 7-2

(H) Sept. 5: Rays win 5-1

(H) Sept. 6 Rangers win 8-0

(H) Sept. 7 Rays win 5-4

Memorable games

May 31: Rays win 5-4. After the Rangers took the lead on a wild pitch in the eighth, Rays third baseman Evan Longoria came through with a go-ahead two-run homer with two outs in the bottom half, giving Tampa Bay a dramatic victory.

Aug. 31: Rays win 4-1. RHP James Shields loads the bases in the first but retires 22 of the final 24 Rangers he faces in eight shutout innings.

Sept. 7: Rays win 5-4. Rookie OF Desmond Jennings rips a walkoff homer in the 10th inning to give the Rays their 1,000th franchise win. The Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler forced extra innings with a solo homer in the ninth, spoiling a victory for LHP David Price.

Key hitters

2B Ian Kinsler: The Rangers leadoff man also provides some pop, becoming just the 11th player in major-league history to rack up multiple 30-homer, 30-steal seasons. Kinsler has 32 homers and 30 steals.

UTL Michael Young: Young was in the race for the batting title and finished tied for second at .338, with 11 homers and 106 RBIs for the season.

Key pitchers

LHP C.J. Wilson: The staff ace (and top Tweeter) may not be LHP Cliff Lee, but he has anchored the Rangers staff this season, going 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA. And he’s particularly tough against the Rays, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 17 career appearances (four starts).

RHP Koji Uehara: Uehara, acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline, has combined with fellow mid-year acquisition RHP Mike Adams to form a formidable one-two punch for the seventh and eighth innings. Opponents are hitting .048 against Uehara in September.

Closer Neftali Felix: The hard-throwing right-hander has 32 saves and a 2.74 ERA.

Who’s hot vs. Rays

Michael Young

.292 with nine homers and 60 RBIs in 85 games

Who’s not vs. Rays

Josh Hamilton

.229 with four homers, 22 RBIs in 28 games.

Joe Smith, Times staff writer

It is perhaps the most exciting moment in a Texas Rangers game. It is not the first pitch. It is not the moment the Rangers walk off the field victorious. It is not Ian Kinsler stealing a base, Elvis Andrus turning a thrilling play, Josh Hamilton depositing a home run in the upper deck. Nor is it the Texas Legends race.

It is the Pizza Hit, delivering half-off pizza to all of Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Every time the Rangers score seven runs, the promo code Rangers7 will get you Papa John’s pizza for half-price. Fortunately for Rangers fans, Texas has accomplished the feet 60 times in 2011. More than 37% of their games played have ended with half-off pizza.

With that in mind, here are the 2011 Pizza Hit leaders for the Rangers; the hitters who have most often brought home the seventh run in a game.

1.   Josh Hamilton, 9
2.   Adrian Beltre, 8
3.   Michael Young, 7
t4.  Ian Kinsler, 6
t4.  David Murphy, 6
t6.  Elvis Andrus, 5
t6.  Mitch Moreland, 5
t8.  Mike Napoli, 4
t8.  Yorvit Torrealba, 4
10.  Nelson Cruz, 3
t11. Endy Chavez, 1
t11. Craig Gentry, 1
t11. Esteban German, 1

Note that this list includes: a Pizza Walk from Moreland; Pizza Sacrifice Flies from Hamilton, Kinsler, Torrealba, and Young (twice); Pizza Reached on Errors by Torrealba, Hamilton, and Moreland; and Pizza Ground Outs by Hamilton and Andrus. Hamilton and Andrus each had walk-off Pizza Hits.

As you can see, last night’s game was more significant than merely keeping ahead of the Tigers or trying a franchise record in wins. As the seventh run came off the bat of Adrian Beltre, he kept alive his hopes of tying Josh Hamilton for the most Pizza Hits in 2011. Should Beltre come up to the plate with a shot of bringing home the Pizza Run today, it will be high drama indeed.

I think what we can glean from the information here is this: if consuming food is as important to the human existence as scientists want us to believe, than Josh Hamilton should clearly be winning his second consecutive American League Most Valuable Player award.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Derek Holland kept his composure after a tough start and it almost resulted in a comeback win by the Texas Rangers.

Desmond Jennings homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL West-leading Rangers 5-4 Wednesday.

“We had an opportunity,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “Desmond Jennings ended it. The game was decided by one pitch.”

Jennings won the game with his ninth homer of the season, sending a pitch from Mark Lowe (2-3) into the left-field stands.

Texas tied it at 4 in the ninth when Ian Kinsler hit his second homer of the afternoon. Kinsler’s 28th home run came with one out against Tampa Bay closer Kyle Farnsworth. Kinsler has seven homers in his last seven games.

Holland allowed three runs through two innings. He then retired nine batters in a row, striking out five straight.

“I knew we were going to come back,” Holland said. “I had to keep my head straight. Overall, I thought I did a fairly good job keeping us in the ballgame.”

The win was the 1,000th overall in the regular season for the Tampa Bay franchise. The Rays have lost 1,245.

Jake McGee (2-1) allowed a single during a scoreless 10th for the victory.

Ben Zobrist put the Rays ahead 2-0 with a two-run double in the first. He joined Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun as the only big leaguers to have 100 doubles, 50 stolen bases and 50 homers over the last three seasons.

Tampa Bay went up 3-0 in the second when Kelly Shoppach scored as Kinsler made a wild throw from second base on B.J. Upton’s infield single.

After David Murphy had an RBI grounder in the fourth, Kinsler made it 3-2 with a solo homer in the fifth off David Price. Murphy had four RBIs in the Rangers’ 8-0 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

“That’s a postseason lineup, one through nine,” Price said.

Brandon Guyer gave Tampa Bay a 4-2 lead with his second homer of the season in the sixth. He connected off Holland, who struck out nine in 6 2-3 innings.

“Holland gave us a chance,” Washington said. “He settled down. He did a good job.”

Mike Napoli cut the deficit to 4-3 with a solo homer in the Texas eighth.

After Kinsler homered in the ninth, Texas had two on and two outs, but failed to score when Adrian Beltre popped out.

NOTES: Price joined teammate James Shields in reaching 200 strikeouts this season when he fanned Napoli to end the fifth. … Texas LF Josh Hamilton, who tweaked his back Tuesday night, went 1 for 5 and struck out three times. … Tampa Bay DH Johnny Damon (sore right foot) was out the lineup for the third consecutive game, but hit a fly ball as a pinch-hitter during the eighth. … Beltre extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a fourth-inning single. … Bill McCrary, who played for Kansas City in the Negro Leagues from 1946-47, threw the ceremonial first pitch. … Both teams are off Thursday. … Texas RHP Colby Lewis (11-10) will try for the fifth time to win his 12th game this season Friday night against Oakland.

Updated Aug 18, 2011 2:12 AM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)

For 128 pitches, Ervin Santana scrapped, clawed and somehow held off the relentless Texas Rangers. When Ian Kinsler put Santana’s 129th pitch softly into left field, the Rangers demonstrated why the Angels just don’t appear capable of holding them down this season.

Kinsler hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rangers rallied for their third straight victory over the Los Angeles Angels, 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Kinsler came up with the Angel Stadium crowd on its feet to cheer Santana, who had struck out two Rangers and had two strikes on Kinsler after Texas loaded the bases with no outs. Kinsler broke his bat on Santana’s slider, but got the ball over the infield.

”It was loud. The whole stadium knew what was going on,” Kinsler said. ”That’s the most fun part about the whole game. . . . I was battling against (Santana) all night. He was battling me with sliders, battling me with the heater. We were getting guys on base, but couldn’t beat him. That was our opportunity, and we almost let it slip by. I was just trying to get it in there somewhere.”

Whether they’re doing it with homers or broken-bat bloops, the defending AL champions have been too much for the struggling Angels this week, taking a commanding seven-game lead in the AL West before Thursday’s series finale. Michael Young had his third straight three-hit game for the Rangers, who have 43 hits in the series after pounding out 12 more.

Mitch Moreland homered and Josh Hamilton hit a run-scoring single for the Rangers, who have won six straight to open a 10-game road trip. C.J. Wilson (12-5) yielded five hits over seven innings for the Rangers (72-52), who are a season-best 20 games over .500 for the first time since 1999 by seizing control of this key four-game series.

The Rangers again downplayed the significance of this head-to-head matchup against their only remaining competition for the division title, but a little excitement still leaked out.

”The whole game, I’m worked up tonight more than I’ve ever been worked up so far,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. ”The whole atmosphere was great. It was just the game, with C.J. and Santana going at it.”

Mark Trumbo had an early RBI double and Howie Kendrick homered in the eighth inning for the Angels, who have lost five straight and seven of eight. Los Angeles trailed the Rangers by 1-1/2 games early last week before sliding to the fringe of the playoff race during this disastrous stretch.

”There’s nothing deflating about it,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ”Obviously, the longer it takes to start stringing together a streak and stringing together wins, the tougher it is to accomplish this, but this is doable.”

Kendrick hit a two-out homer off reliever Koji Uehara, but Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his 24th save, stranding Trumbo on third base.

After routing Los Angeles in the first two games of the series, Texas trailed 2-0 in the first inning before coming back against Santana (9-9), who had won five consecutive starts with a no-hitter during a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Texas beat rookie starters for the Angels in the first two games of the series, but was nearly as effective against Santana, who gave up 10 hits and four walks. He had four strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career in the first inning, but lost for the first time in 10 starts since June 21

”We’ve still got a more than month to go, so we have to keep playing hard and anything can happen,” Santana said. ”We just have to play our game. . . . I didn’t have my best stuff, but it’s a good battle.”

Wilson pitched six straight scoreless innings after a rocky start. After Trumbo’s drive to right field in the first inning hit near the top of the elevated fence and bounced back onto the field. Torii Hunter slid safely into home, adeptly touching home plate with his hand to beat the tag.

The Rangers got a runner on base in every inning against Santana, but didn’t score until Hamilton drove in Elvis Andrus in the fifth. Moreland then tied it with his 14th homer leading off the sixth.

”There’s no doubt that Ervin was pitching with his back against the wall, even though he had a two-run lead,” Scioscia said. ”Those guys have power all the way through their lineup, and they’re going to keep going. After we got those two early runs, they kept putting up zeros and kept pressuring us and got back into the game. We wanted to give Ervin a little bit of a comfort zone, but we weren’t able to do that.”

NOTES: The Angels hope ace Jered Weaver can end their slide when he takes the mound in the series finale on Thursday. Texas counters with 11-game winner Colby Lewis. … Hunter extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a sixth-inning single. … The Angels recalled Jerome Williams from the minors before the game, and the veteran right-hander made his first major league appearance since May 15, 2007, in the ninth inning, giving up two hits.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Aug. 18, 2011

ANAHEIM, Calif. — For 128 pitches, Ervin Santana scrapped, clawed and somehow held off the relentless Texas Rangers. When Ian Kinsler put Santana’s 129th pitch softly into left field, the Rangers demonstrated why the Angels just don’t appear capable of holding them down this season.

Kinsler hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rangers rallied for their third consecutive victory against the Los Angeles Angels, 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Kinsler came up with the Angel Stadium crowd on its feet to cheer Santana, who had struck out two Rangers and had two strikes on Kinsler after Texas loaded the bases with no outs. Kinsler broke his bat on Santana’s slider, but got the ball over the infield.

“It was loud. The whole stadium knew what was going on,” Kinsler said. “That’s the most fun part about the whole game. … I was battling against [Santana] all night. He was battling me with sliders, battling me with the heater. We were getting guys on base, but couldn’t beat him. That was our opportunity, and we almost let it slip by. I was just trying to get it in there somewhere.”

Whether they’re doing it with homers or broken-bat bloops, the defending AL champions have been too much for the struggling Angels this week, taking a commanding seven-game lead in the AL West before Thursday’s series finale. Michael Young had his third consecutive three-hit game for the Rangers, who have 43 hits in the series after pounding out 12 more.

Mitch Moreland hit a home run and Josh Hamilton hit a run-scoring single for the Rangers, who have won six straight to open a 10-game road trip. C.J. Wilson (12-5) yielded five hits over seven innings for the Rangers (72-52), who are a season-best 20 games over .500 for the first time since 1999 by seizing control of this key four-game series.

The Rangers again downplayed the significance of this head-to-head matchup against their only remaining competition for the division title, but a little excitement still leaked out.

“The whole game, I’m worked up tonight more than I’ve ever been worked up so far,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “The whole atmosphere was great. It was just the game, with C.J. and Santana going at it.”

Mark Trumbo had an early RBI double and Howie Kendrick homered in the eighth inning for the Angels, who have lost five straight and seven of eight. Los Angeles trailed the Rangers by 1½ games early last week before sliding to the fringe of the playoff race during this disastrous stretch.

“There’s nothing deflating about it,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Obviously, the longer it takes to start stringing together a streak and stringing together wins, the tougher it is to accomplish this, but this is doable.”

Kendrick hit a two-out homer off reliever Koji Uehara, but Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his 24th save, stranding Trumbo on third base.

After routing Los Angeles in the first two games of the series, Texas trailed 2-0 in the first inning before coming back against Santana (9-9), who had won five consecutive starts with a no-hitter during a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Texas beat rookie starters for the Angels in the first two games of the series, but was nearly as effective against Santana, who gave up 10 hits and four walks. He had four strikeouts, including the 1,000th of his career in the first inning, but lost for the first time in 10 starts since June 21

“We’ve still got a more than month to go, so we have to keep playing hard and anything can happen,” Santana said. “We just have to play our game. … I didn’t have my best stuff, but it’s a good battle.”

Wilson pitched six consecutive scoreless innings after a rocky start. After Trumbo’s drive to right field in the first inning hit near the top of the elevated fence and bounced back onto the field. Torii Hunter slid safely into home, adeptly touching home plate with his hand to beat the tag.

The Rangers got a runner on base in every inning against Santana, but didn’t score until Hamilton drove in Elvis Andrus in the fifth. Moreland then tied it with his 14th homer leading off the sixth.

“There’s no doubt that Ervin was pitching with his back against the wall, even though he had a two-run lead,” Scioscia said. “Those guys have power all the way through their lineup, and they’re going to keep going. After we got those two early runs, they kept putting up zeros and kept pressuring us and got back into the game. We wanted to give Ervin a little bit of a comfort zone, but we weren’t able to do that.”

Notes

• The Angels hope ace Jered Weaver can end their slide when he takes the mound in the series finale on Thursday. Texas will counter with 11-game winner Colby Lewis.
• Hunter extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a sixth-inning single.
• The Angels recalled Jerome Williams from the minors before the game, and the veteran right-hander made his first major league appearance since May 15, 2007, in the ninth inning, giving up two hits.