This weekend the National League lost two of its best players, Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates to injury. Goldschmidt is probably done for the season with a broken hand after getting hit by a pitch, while Cutch, the reigning MVP, will miss about a month with an oblique strain.
Both players were producing at a typically stellar rate, so their absences will open up the National League MVP race. Here are the top contenders to come away with this season's award.
Troy Tulowitzki, SS (COL)
Tulowitzki was on his way to a historic season in 2014-his average sits at .340 with 21 home runs, 52 RBI and 71 runs scored-but as usual injuries have derailed his excellence. Tulo hasn't played since July 19, and if he misses much more time he may get passed by some other names on this list. It doesn't help that his Rockies are in last place in National League West.
Still his offensive numbers are just so good, and coupled with elite metrics defensively to boot, that he could win the award even with a smaller sample size. As long as he comes back at some point and picks up where he left off, Tulo is likely to bring it home.
Yasiel Puig, OF (LAD)
Puig gets some bad press sometimes, especially when he's catching balls so nonchalantly that Albert Pujols can tag up on him. But the fact of the matter is that aside from Tulowitzki, no NL player has been worth more wins (4.7 per Fangraphs) than Puig. He's hitting a sturdy .319 with 13 home runs, 55 RBI and seven steals. He also is arguably the most entertaining player in the sport based off his bat flips, charisma, and rocket arm in the outfield.
Sprinkle in the fact that he's taken over in center field midseason, and he's the best bet to overcome Tulowitzki. It also helps that his Dodgers are in first place in the same division where Tulo is in last.
Clayton Kershaw, SP (LAD)
It might be a little taboo to have Kershaw as this much of a player in the MVP race, but Kershaw's pitching even better than Justin Verlander did in 2011 when he double dipped on the AL's top two awards. Kershaw's striking out more than 11 batters per nine innings while Verlander set down 8.96. Kershaw is walking two fewer batters per nine, and has a much lower ERA.
If Kershaw maintains his current pace, the comparison won't even be that close and the names ahead of Kershaw in this list right now are far from bulletproof. A betting man might see a great value in placing a wager on this happening.
Jonathan Lucroy, C (MIL)
Lucroy would probably need a power surge to take the MVP award, but he's been arguably the best player on a Brewers team that is still in first place past the All-Star break. His .304 average and 12 home runs put him right there with Puig, and he's a plus at his position defensively. Expect his candidacy to increase if Milwaukee wins the NL Central, but he's a bit of a longshot.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF (MIA)
Stanton plays for the lowly Marlins, so he's a very dark horse in this race, but his crazy power might allow him to sneak in with a surge. 2012 was his best power season, when he socked 37 bombs in 501 at-bats. He has a chance to do that and more this year. Currently Stanton has 26 home runs in 483 at-bats, and unlike many sluggers, has a healthy batting average (.290). His lack of team success will probably kill his chances, but he'll contend for years to come as long as he stays healthy.
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