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Too close to call Giambi, Thomas, A-Rod lead wide-open AL MVP fieldNEW YORK (AP) -- Jason Giambi carried the Oakland Athletics to the postseason with a dominating September. Frank Thomas got the Chicago White Sox there with his performance earlier in the season. Those performances made Giambi and Thomas two of the favorites in a wide-open race for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Seattle's Alex Rodriguez, the top free agent this offseason, is also in the running after getting the Mariners to the playoffs despite the Ken Griffey Jr. trade before the season. Giambi, the leader of the young A's, spearheaded their pennant run by hitting .396 with 13 homers and 32 homers in the final month. Not that he was shabby the rest of the season. He ended the season batting .333 with 43 homers, 137 RBIs and 137 walks. He led the league with a .476 on-base percentage and was third with a .647 slugging percentage.
"This kid, if you look at him the last couple of years, he's gotten better each year," manager Art Howe said during the playoffs. "For me, he's the MVP of this league, hands down." White Sox manager Jerry Manuel leans to his man, Thomas, who rebounded from career lows of 15 homers and 77 RBIs to lead the White Sox to the best record in the league. "I've been here 10 years now, and of course I had an off year and a half, so a lot of people were counting me out," said Thomas, the AL MVP winner in 1993-94. "Everybody knows who they are. I was determined to come back and show people the type of player I've been my whole life." He did just that, hitting .328 with career highs of 43 homers and 143 RBIs. He was at his best in June, when the White Sox ran away from the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Thomas hit .330 with 12 homers and 28 RBIs in the month. Rodriguez wasn't distracted at all by the trade of Griffey or his impending free agency, which should net him more than $200 million this offseason. "It's been very easy for me to focus this year," Rodriguez said during the ALCS. "I came in very determined with a goal in mind." He did just that, as the Mariners won the wild-card spot and came within two wins of their first World Series appearance. Rodriguez hit .316 with 41 homers and 132 RBIs at one of the game's most demanding positions. Teammate Edgar Martinez, who hit .324 with 37 homers and 145 RBIs, will also get some consideration. Toronto's Carlos Delgado might have been the best hitter in the AL this season, but he figured to be hurt in voting because he couldn't get the Blue Jays to the postseason. Delgado hit .344 with 41 homers and 137 RBIs. He also had a league-leading 57 doubles and was second in on-base percentage (.470) and slugging (.664). Cleveland's Manny Ramirez had an MVP-caliber season when healthy, driving in 122 runs in only 118 games. But a hamstring injury that cost Ramirez six weeks of playing time hindered his candidacy. Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez also will get some consideration after going 19-9 with a 1.74 ERA. But if his 23 wins that carried Boston to the postseason in 1999 wasn't enough to win the MVP, the bias by some voters against pitchers should hold him back again this season.
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