MVP tracker: Unlikely leader atop AL MVP race

Paul White | USA TODAY Sports

The baseball world is still getting to know the Oakland Athletics.

Smack in the middle of a battle for a second consecutive playoff spot, the A's suffer from a bit of "Who are these guys?"

Meet Josh Donaldson.

The Oakland third baseman was left out when the All-Star roster was assembled last month. Now, though, he has moved to the top of the American League list in USA TODAY Sports' MVP Tracker.

Donaldson, the most consistent contributor to the Oakland offense, jumped into the lead held a week ago by teammate and pitcher Bartolo Colon, who fell from the top spot to third behind Donaldson and reigning MVP Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw maintained his National League lead, but his margin over Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen is narrowing.

The MVP Tracker uses Wins Above Replacement, the overall measure of a player's value in all aspects of the game as computed by Baseball-Reference.com, to fairly compare hitters and pitchers. To determine a player's importance to his team, we compute what percentage of a team's total WAR the player has contributed. Then, to factor in the impact of those contributions on the playoff races, players are penalized for how far their teams trail in the standings.

Donaldson will need to continue building his visibility if the A's are to prevail in their battle with the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead. Oakland is 8-10 since the All-Star break, including six losses in its past seven games, and has gone from a two-game lead in the division to a tie with Texas.

Donaldson's 4.7 WAR is nearly double that of any other offensive player on an Oakland roster that ranks 10th in the AL in total bases and OPS and 12th in batting average.

He's a converted catcher who is another example of A's general manager Billy Beane quietly collecting talent. Beane acquired Donaldson in 2008 in a deal that sent pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs.

Donaldson's breakthrough came last season, his first full year as a third baseman. Called up after Brandon Inge went on the disabled list in August, Donaldson became the regular third baseman and hit .290 the rest of the season as Oakland went 32-15 in the games Donaldson played. Oakland is 96-62 in games Donaldson has played since the call-up. The leader board:

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American League

1. Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics: Like the team as a whole, Donaldson's production has slipped since the All-Star break, but his percentage of Oakland's overall WAR (wins above replacement) increased over last week. He leads the A's in RBI (63), total bases (197) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS, .855) and is tied for the lead with 17 homers.

2. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: He continues to get big hits, especially in the series this week that Detroit dominated at the Cleveland Indians. Cabrera's contribution has slowed a bit as he battles an abdominal muscle strain, but he leads the league in batting, on-base percentage and OPS.

3. Bartolo Colon, Oakland Athletics: Colon, 40, has gone two starts without a win for the first time since the second week in May, but his most significant moment of the past week came when he learned he would not receive further punishment in connection with the Biogenesis investigation.

4. Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers: With Nelson Cruz removed from the offense, Texas will rely even more on pitching. Darvish, the AL strikeout leader, has 31 strikeouts in his past 20 innings. He's posted a 1.37 ERA while winning three of his past four starts.

5. Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers: That 16-1 record entering his start Thursday was more than a factor of a strong team. Scherzer's 0.912 WHIP led AL starters, as did his 6.2 hits per nine innings. Only Darvish had more strikeouts per inning.

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National League

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: His lead in the NL race dwindled more because teammates are picking up more of the slack for a team that's pulling away in the NL West. Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez are closing in on the top five, but Kershaw leads big-league pitchers in WAR.

2. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: A positive sign in the team's strong first half: McCutchen was having a good year but not up to his standards. He is now, batting .367 with a 1.098 OPS in a 35-game stretch entering Thursday.

3. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals: Entering Thursday, he led the NL with 1752/3 innings, four complete games, 1.1 walks per nine innings and a 7.43 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

4. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates: McCutchen is the man in Pittsburgh, but the leadoff man has been a catalyst. He led the NL in triples and was second in steals.

5. Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves: The shortstop's 4.5 WAR derives mostly from defense, key for a pitching staff sixth in baseball in inducing grounders.