Boston DH David Ortiz leads the American League in home runs (48) and RBIs (127), but fears he won't win the MVP Award because of his team's slide from playoff contention. If he doesn't win, Ortiz is quick to point out who else shouldn't walk away with MVP honors. "They're talking about (Derek) Jeter a lot, right?" Ortiz said. "He's done a great job, but Jeter is not a 40-homer hitter or an RBI guy." That mentality may prevail in an era that has been mostly about sluggers, but the best teams also have players who get on base for the big bats. Wasn't Rickey Henderson a legitimate MVP winner for an Oakland club that went all the way to the World Series in 1990? Henderson helped his MVP cause with a career-high 28 homers, but what may have made him most valuable to the A's were his 97 walks, which produced major league bests in on-base percentage (.439) and runs scored (119) in 136 games. He allowed Mark McGwire to knock in 108 runs, and teammate Jose Canseco drove in another 101. Willie McGee had a similar type of MVP season for St. Louis in 1985. Though he didn't draw nearly as many walks as Henderson, he led the National League in both batting (.353) and triples (18), while ranking near the top of the league in total bases, times on base and runs scored. He crossed the plate 114 times in 152 games to lead the Cardinals to the 1985 World Series. It just may be the year for someone other than a slugger to claim MVP honors. Perhaps Minnesota southpaw Johan Santana, the AL leader in wins (18), ERA (2.75), lowest opponent batting average (.212) and strikeouts (230) will claim the award if the Twins overtake the Tigers for the AL Central crown.