NL MVP Winner Goes To....

The candidates for the National League Most Valuable Player Award are having amazing seasons. Bryce Harper has been in these discussions before and it shows. However, this is new territory for Fernando Tatis Jr. Sure, he finished 4th in the voting last year, but that was in a 60-game shortened season. Harper and Tatis Jr. will be going head-to-head in these discussions for many years to come.

The media is doing a great job at building this into a two person MVP race. It's another 22 year old, not named Fernando Tatis Jr., that should win the award. It is difficult to say Juan Soto is an underdog considering he won a World Series at 20 years of age and a Silver Slugger award at 21 years of age, but here we are. The biggest knock on Soto is that he plays on a team that is 25+ games below .500. Don't let this distract you from the fact that he is having a historic year.

If you compare Harper, Soto and Tatis Jr.'s numbers you will see just how tight the NL MVP race currently is. Each candidate has a great argument as to why they deserve the crown. The reason I believe Soto deserves to win this award is due in large part to his walk to strikeout numbers. These numbers are staggering, especially when you consider he has 100 more plate appearances than Tatis Jr. and 50 more plate appearances than Harper.

Many people strongly believe the MVP award shouldn't go to a player on a losing team. I can understand this rationale, but it brings to light the contradiction of those voting for Shohei Ohtani. All these candidates are worthy of consideration and we'll see what voters value most when casting their ballot. Who do you think should win the award?