AL MVP starts and ends with A-Rod

Nov 19, 2007 - 2:38 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) - Before he lands a lucrative contract, Alex Rodriguez is expected to add some more hardware to his mantle.

The New York Yankees third baseman is expected to be the runaway winner when the American League Most Valuable Player Award is announced Monday.

It was a monster season for Rodriguez, who led the majors with 54 homers, 156 RBI, 143 runs and a 1.067 OPS. He also batted .314 to go along with 24 stolen bases.

In July, Rodriguez also became the youngest player in history to reach 500 career homers. He accomplished the feat eight days after his 32nd birthday.

When it becomes official, Rodriguez will win the award for a second time with the Yankees and third time overall. He also won with New York in 2005 after previously capturing the honor two years earlier with Texas.

The award for Rodriguez will come less than a week after reports surfaced that he has agreed to a 10-year contract worth up to $275 million with the Yankees.

After Rodriguez decided to opt out of the final three years of his contract that had $91 million remaining, it was thought that his days as a Yankee were over.

But in a stunning move, Rodriguez reached out to the Yankees last week, reportedly coming to an agreement on a massive contract that likely will allow him to finish his career in pinstripes.

Rodriguez carried the Yankees during April when they were decimated by injuries to the pitching staff and were struggling through slow starts by Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui. He hit .355 with 14 homers and 34 RBI.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez should be the second name on voters ballots. The 33-year-old right fielder led the majors with a .363 batting average and paced the AL with 54 doubles.

Ordonez's candidacy took a hit when the Tigers fell out of the AL Central race in September, but his 28 homers and 139 RBI will keep him near the top of the ballot.

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who has been in the top five in voting in each of the past four years, figures to be near the top again after batting .332 with 35 homers, 117 RBI and 52 doubles. He finished just behind Rodriguez in OPS at 1.066 and led the majors with a .445 on-base percentage.