6 Darkhorse MVP Candidates After the First Half

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians

Current Odds: 25-1

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez has made a huge leap forward in his production at the plate this season, and he's also fresh off a stellar performance in the All-Star Game. He's been even more important to the Tribe when considering certain parts of their offense -- Edwin Encarnacion at the start of the year and Francisco Lindor more recently -- have struggled to get going.

His 3.9 fWAR currently ranks fifth in the American League, as does his wRC+ (157) and wOBA (.409). However, the biggest change in his game compared to 2016 has been an emergence of power. Ramirez's 17 home runs are already a single-season career high, and the .268 ISO he's produced is on pace to also be a career high by more than 100 points.

The Indians are currently 47-40 and will start the second half with a 2.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central. If it wasn't for Ramirez, they probably wouldn't have that kind of cushion at the moment. And if they end up going on a run and separating themselves from the pack, he'll likely be one of the main reasons why.