AL MVP Power Rankings: Trout retains top spot with September surge

Trout continues to cement his bid for his first career Most Valuable Player award, as the three-time All-Star was incredibly hostile towards American League pitchers this month. The 23-year-old recorded six multi-hit games while managing a 1.259 OPS over his last 12 contests, reaching base safely at least once in each game.

Felix Hernandez, the presumptive Cy Young award winner, remains a bastion of consistency even as his team's playoff hopes grow increasingly dubious. The 28-year-old right-hander hurled six scoreless innings in a 4-1 win over the Astros on Monday before holding the division-leading Athletics to just two runs over seven masterful innings at Safeco Field on Saturday.

Hernandez trails Chris Sale for the American League lead in earned run average while his 219 innings pitched pale only in comparison to David Price, who logged 7 2/3 more frames than Hernandez this season. A five-time All-Star, Hernandez boasts a league-best 0.918 WHIP while producing 7.5 RA9-WAR, easily the most in the American League.

RA9-WAR: "Instead of basing a pitcher's value on his three true outcomes [strikeouts, walks, and homeruns], his value is derived from runs allowed per nine innings. In other words, a pitcher's RA9-WAR makes him responsible for every factor that influences run scoring." - USA Today

That Donaldson retains his position as second runner-up is a testament to how well he performed through the first five months of the season, as the newly-minted All-Star slowed considerably during the final few weeks of the campaign.

Donaldson struggled in September so far to sustain the level of production that helped keep his team afloat during a disastrous August, when they managed a 12-17 record. The 27-year-old owns a lowly .563 OPS with a 23.7 strikeout rate this month and scored one home run in his last 16 games.

But Donaldson remains fourth in the American League with 5.9 wins above replacement while leading all big-league third baseman with 27 home runs through 145 games.

Michael Brantley promptly vindicated his team's decision to hand him a four-year extension last winter with an MVP-calibre performance in 2014, as the 27-year-old trails only Mike Trout for the American League lead with 6.3 wins above replacement.

Brantley showed unprecedented power and contact skills this season, establishing new career-bests in batting average (.322), strikeout rate (8.3%), isolated power (.178), and on-base plus slugging (.881). His 152 wRC+ represents the fifth-best mark among qualified American League hitters, trumping the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, and Edwin Encarnacion.

Armed with both power and speed, Brantley put himself in some elite company with his performance this season, becoming one of just seven players since 2010 to produce a campaign with least 19 home runs and 20 stolen bases with on-base percentage above .380. Of the other six players to accomplish the feat, three won an MVP award (with Trout likely to become the fourth).

Alex Gordon's recent offensive struggles helped Kansas City relinquish their division lead - the Royals hold a two-game lead over the second wild-card berth - as the former first-round pick is hitting just .185/.333/.259 with two doubles and one stolen base over his last eight contests.

Gordon's stellar defense and above-average baserunning, however, remain thoroughly impressive, as he leads the majors with 23 defensive runs saved while only 12 players in the American League provided more value on the basepaths.