MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 NL MVP candidates through June
By Josh Sippie
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The National League is ripe with MVP candidates, all of whom have an equal opportunity at snatching the award. Whereas in the American League MVP race, the game is ‘who can catch Miggy?’ in the NL MVP race, there are about twenty horses at the starting gate, all of whom are equal contenders.
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The month of June saw a lot of players rising to the occasion and fighting to enter the NL MVP conversation. Consider Giancarlos Stanton, who clubbed 12 home runs and drove in 23 RBIs in June while hitting a very NL MVP-like .344 in the process. While his power is what keeps him perpetually in the NL MVP talk, his .265 average leaves room for improvement, but improvement was had in the month of June as he may well have widdled his way into the top 5.
Troy Tulowitzki had a fantastic June as well, as he batted an insane .381 and while he only homered four times, he drove in 21. If Tulo can keep compiling those types of numbers, he will be back in the NL MVP talk in no time.
On the other side of the spectrum, Justin Upton, who ranked fourth in last months NL MVP watch, had an atrocious June that removed him from all talk of the award. He hit a measly .185 and scrounged together a mere two home runs and nine RBIs.
Adrian Gonzalez, third on last months watch, similarly fell off, as he hit only .225 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in the month.
With that in mind, here is a look at the new NL MVP top 5 candidates:
Next: Number 5