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Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger and his NL MVP competition

By Hil Lopez

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 09: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a sliding catch for an out of Jarrod Dyson #1 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on August 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 09: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a sliding catch for an out of Jarrod Dyson #1 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on August 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ season is wrapping up and the team very may have its first positional player MVP since Kirk Gibson in 1988.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have already sewn up their division in National League. They are looking to try and grab home-field advantage as they are only two games behind the Astros. As the season winds down,  the NL MVP will be chosen soon and it has numerous candidates in the year of the long ball.

Cody Bellinger

If the case for MVP is for the best player on the best team then Cody Bellinger should win it. Sure, his play has slowed down each month since May, but he has still been able to lead his team to the best record in the NL. His counting stats have been remarkable as seen in his .301/.402./623 slash line.

Furthermore, he is near the league lead in home runs with 46 home runs and is near the top in runs (118), and RBI (114). In this career year for Bellinger, he has definitely shown the impact he could make when he is locked in on the plate.

Christian Yelich

If the case for MVP is the most exciting and thrilling player, Christian Yelich definitely needs to be near the top of the list. The defending NL MVP has been the most consistent player this season as he has a .329/..429/.671 slash line.

He also has 44 home runs along with 100 runs scored and 97 RBI. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken knee against Miami on September 10th and is out for the season. If he had continued on his pace, Yelich might have been able to garner more NL MVP votes and possibly win back to back MVPs.

Anthony Rendon

Anthony Rendon is one of the quietest, and most efficient players in the MLB today. He has the Nationals in prime position for a wild card spot in the NFL and sports a .321/.411/.601 slash line. He is also first in the MLB with 124 RBIs and has scored 116 runs.

Rendon is very effective at the plate as he has only 84 strikeouts on the year. Rendon is definitely a dark horse candidate to win the MVP given how he has single handily helped the Nationals rise from the middle of the pack in the NL East to the top of the wild card.

Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuena Jr.

Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr.are one of the most exciting tandems in the MLB today. Freeman has 121 RBIs and is one of the most consistent hitters in the game as evidenced by his consistent .295+ batting average year in and year out.

Additionally, his teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. is in the top five in the NL with home runs with 41 and he is near the top of the league with 37 stolen bases at only age 21. Both have led the Braves to the NL East title as well.

Though they may each get votes, it will be hard for one of them to win because each of them play for the same team, taking away votes from one another.

In the end, Bellinger should and will win the NL MVP. All the other candidates boast great resumes like Bellinger, but each has a case against them such as Yelich (season-ending injury), Rendon (Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in the NL), and Freeman and Acuna (both cancel each other out and the latter is shut down for the rest of the season.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have consistently been the best team in the NL and Bellinger has been the breakout star after a down year. He may not win it unanimously but will win handily.

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