NL MVP

The National League MVP race is an interesting one. Going into September, the Mets David Wright was one of the leading contenders, and likely had an inside track on it, over Matt Holliday, Prince Fielder and Jimmy Rollins, because of his teams position in the standings.

Then September happened, and everything turned topsy-turvy. The Mets collapsed, the Phillies surged and took advantage, and the Rockies just about turned in the 1927 Yankees in the last 2 weeks of the season, leaving the Mets out in the rain, looking at the warm dinner being served to the other two.

Even though the collaps was in no way Wright's fault, his MVP candidacy will suffer for it, as he has been effectively knocked out. With him out of the way, lets look at the other candidates.

Fielder, 1B, Brewers-Knocked the cover off the ball, hitting 50 homers and knocking in 119. He earned his first All-Star Game apperance, and his first Silver Slugger. He led the league in homers, and was top 5 in RBI's, extra base hits, slugging, OPS, runs and intentional walks. Working against him is the Brewers finish, after leading the Central for the first 3 months, they finished 2nd to the Cubs. Order of finish: 3rd

Rollins, SS, Phillies-Before the season, Rollins claimed that the Phillies on paper were the team to beat in the NL East, and eventually, they proved him right. Rollins joined Curtis Granderson in the 20-20-20 club, hitting 38 doubles, 20 triples, and 30 homers, and added 41 steals. He also won his first Gold Glove, making 11 errors this year. He led the league in runs, triples, and most interestingly, outs made. He wasnt even the best player on his team(that honor belongs to either Chase Utley or Ryan Howard, depending on how you feel), but his words prior to the season garnered him alot of attention, which helps his MVP cause. Order of finish: 2nd

Holliday, LF, Rockies-For the 4th straight year, Holliday improved his batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, even more remarkable considering that those numbers werent shabby to start with. In his 4th year, he established himself not just as a star, but as one of the best players in the game. The Rockies September push put him in the national conciousness, and he led the league in two very important categories(in the eyes of the media): batting average and RBI's. He also led the league in total bases and extra base hits, besting fielder despite yielding 14 homers to him. Leading the league in doubles will do that. More importantly though, when the Rockies needed him most, he produced. He hit .365 with 12 homers in September/October. Even better, in the one game playoff with the Padres, Holliday tied the game up with the Rockies trailing in the bottom of the 13th with a triple, and scored the winning run on a sac fly. Order of finish:1st

My guess is the the Mets swoon pushes Wright to 4th, where no one will even remember. Holliday wins a much deserved MVP award. It's amazing the quality of young stars the NL is pumping out, as Holliday turns 28 in January, while Rollins turns 29 next week, and Wright and Fielder are under 25.