By Christopher Reina I like to keep track of a simple to understand statistic that is supremely indicative of how much weight a player carries within the framework of his offense. There are two hands involved with every run scored; one from the runner scoring and one from the batter who drives in the run. When a player hits a home run, he has two hands on the run. In order to calculate the percentage of runs a player has a hand in, I add the run total with the RBI total, then divide by the amount of runs their team has scored and finally divide by two in order to get a percentage. Because there are many times throughout a season when a player scores a run without another player receiving credit for an RBI (ex: errors), the percentage is a little bit short, but it is certainly close. Now that we are in August and have played four full months, it is time to examine the team leaders in this statistic. *Figures below are percentages American League Angels: Vladimir Guerrero, 12.78 Athletics: Nick Swisher, 11.46 Blue Jays: Alex Rios, 14.15 Devil Rays: Carlos Pena, 12.68 Indians: Grady Sizemore, 12.32 Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki, 11.76 Orioles: Nick Markakis, 12.84 Rangers: Sammy Sosa, 10.89 Royals: David DeJesus, 11.97 Red Sox: David Ortiz, 12.11 Tigers: Magglio Ordonez, 13.46 Twins: Justin Morneau, 15.36 White Sox: Paul Konerko, 12.36 Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, 16.34 National League Astros: Carlos Lee, 15.21 Braves: Andruw Jones, 12.26 Brewers: Prince Fielder, 14.17 Cardinals: Albert Pujols: 14.96 Cubs: Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, 11.63 Diamondbacks: Eric Byrnes,14.01 Dodgers: Russell Martin, 12.83 Giants: Ray Durham, 11.69 Marlins: Dan Uggla:,13.85 Mets: David Wright, 13.46 Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, 13.86 Padres: Adrian Gonzalez, 13.51 Phillies: Chase Utley, 13.93 Pirates: Jason Bay, 14.20 Reds: Brandon Phillips, Adam Dunn: 13.41 Rockies: Matt Holliday, 14.95 AL Leaders 1. Alex Rodriguez: 16.34 2. Justin Morneau: 15.36 3. Alex Rios: 14.15 4. Torii Hunter: 13.65 5. Magglio Ordonez: 13.46 6. Nick Markakis: 13.84 7. Vladimir Guerrero: 12.78 8. Gary Sheffield: 12.72 9. Carlos Pena: 12.68 10. Paul Konerko: 12.36 Rodriguez?s percentage has dropped from 18.43 a month ago due to the Yankees? offensive onslaught in July, but he remains the prohibitive favorite to win the AL MVP. With the Twins sliding in the Wild Card race, Morneau will likely be eliminated from the running, leaving Ordonez as the only real challenger to Rodriguez. NL Leaders 1. Carlos Lee: 15.21 2. Albert Pujols: 14.96 3. Matt Holliday: 14.95 4. Jason Bay: 14.20 5. Prince Fielder: 14.17 6. Eric Byrnes: 14.01 7. Chase Utley: 13.93 8. Ryan Zimmerman: 13.86 9. Dan Uggla: 13.85 10. Miguel Cabrera: 13.65 With Prince Fielder and the Brewers slipping, the MVP race has become murky. Fielder hit just three homeruns and drove in 10 runs in July while the club went 11-16 and now have the Cubs on their heels. Houston?s sub-.500 record takes Lee out of the running and the Cardinals have still not presented themselves as legitimate challengers in the central, which makes Pujols? quest for a second MVP an uphill climb. This leaves Matt Holliday and surprisingly Eric Byrnes as the other leading candidates, depending on how the Rockies and Diamondbacks finish in the standings. Byrnes? spirited play and ability to produce in the clutch has spearhead Arizona to a 9-1 record over their past 10 games. HOR Per At Bat Alex Rodriguez: .257 Ryan Howard: .227 Magglio Ordonez: .212 Carlos Pena: .208 Gary Sheffield: .207 Barry Bonds: .205 Ryan Braun: .205 Chase Utley: .202 Hideki Matsui: .198 Justin Morneau: .198