MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 NL MVP candidates through April

5. Justin Upton – .300 BA, 7 HR, 21 RBI, .923 OPS

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

While Matt Kemp and Justin Upton have both greatly helped the Friars’ offense in 2015, it is Upton who is having the MVP-caliber season.

Kemp has only one long ball on the season, while Upton is tied for the second most in the NL. He’s only a .275 career hitter, so while someone like a healthy Votto (.311) is a stronger bet to be in the top five of this list come September with his impeccable plate discipline, right now Upton gets the nod.

If the Padres finish in first or manage to grab a Wild Card spot in the ultra-competitive NL West and Upton is still playing at the same level he is now at in September, he will likely be the biggest vehicle driving San Diego’s offensive successes and the key contributor to turning the team around from dead last rankings in runs scored and team batting average in 2014.

Upton is a two-time All-Star who played well for his first six MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks amidst fairly thin lineups. Last years .270-29-102 line gave fans a glimpse of what a little protection in the batting order did for Upton’s confidence and production. The benefits of Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis and Jason Heyward batting alongside Upton came full circle.

Padres fans now hope that Kemp, Wil Myers and Derek Norris‘ skills can rub off on Upton’s success and the 27-year-old can put together his finest of nine seasons as a professional baseball player yet. Upton’s success could be a Catch 22 scenario for the Padres , though. The better he does in 2015, the more likely he may be to test the free agent market in the offseason and split from San Diego after only one season.

Next: No. 4