Fans High on Texas Rangers in American League MVP Poll

MLB's attention slowly turns toward the postseason with less than 50 games left in the regular season. And if sights aren't set on October baseball, fans are fixated on the race to the finish line for the MVP.

MLB.com recently polled fans to see which standouts are currently leading the charge in the AL and NL MVP race. Among the five qualifiers for the American League, two were current Texas Rangers, with one just missing the cut.

Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia, second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager made up half of the AL top six. Garcia was ranked the highest at No. 3, while Semien and Seager fell in line at No. 4 and No. 6, respectively.

Garcia is on pace for a career year at the plate, slashing .262/.341/.524 with a season-high .864 OPS. No AL player has more RBI (89) than the 30-year-old standout, with only Atlanta Braves' Matt Olsen (101) surpassing him among all hitters.

The power reached new levels for Garcia this season. Currently with 29 homers, Garcia is three away from surpassing his career-best 31 back in 2021. His 125 strikeouts are on pace for a career low since being promoted to an everyday role.

Semien might be the least surprising name on the list from the Lone Star State. An AL MVP finalist with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, the 32-year-old All-Start could finish top five in voting for the third time in five years.

Plate discipline and consistency have been Semien's strengths since his breakout season in 2016. The power has dropped a tad since his 45-home run season in 2021, but he's batting .278 with 72 RBI and an AL-leading 93 runs scored. Semien also has 70 strikeouts, marking his lowest total to this point in a season since 2017.

The other half of baseball's most expensive middle infield, Seager likely would have been the runner-up if not for injury. His two stints on the IL likely knocks him out of the top five barring a surge in September, but when he's hot, few can match his swing.

Batting .353, Seager, 29, would rank second among hitters if he qualified with the total amount of games, as would his 1.070 OPS. In 72 games, he's smacked 18 home runs, 66 RBI and totaled 31 doubles, the most among shortstops.

Seager's home run total ranks third among shortstops, trailing only New York Mets' Francisco Lindor (22) and Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. (20). Both middle infielders have played 114 games this season, 42 more than the four-time All-Star.

Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani was named the front-runner for the AL MVP and is the odds-on favorite to take home the title for the second time in three years.

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