As the season winds down, a few clear MVP candidates have emerged in each league

With the regular season winding down in Major League Baseball, the talks of who will take the MVP crown have already begun with some clear front runners.

We can’t talk about the MVP award without talking about the most dynamic player in the league this season, Shohei Ohtani. There have been some legitimate concerns regarding if Ohtani could be a two-way player — having an up-and-down first few seasons in the majors. But Ohtani, who has been injury-ridden in his career undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018 and having problems with his elbow last season, has emerged from all the doubt this season. 

Ohtani currently is third in the MLB with home runs with 45 dingers and poses as an immense threat for pitchers all around the league, but also has maintained a 3.43 ERA over his 123 innings pitched. While Ohtani has separated himself from the competition stats wise, his off-the-field influence has done phenomenal things for the MLB. With his influence in Japan, Ohtani has been named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people of 2021. 

Another player who is having a standout season is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy, who has been almost unstoppable at the plate, currently leads the MLB in hits with 178, in runs with 119 and is tied for the lead in home runs with 46. Guerrero, who is only 22 years old, is taking the MLB by storm this season, and currently plays an integral part in the Blue Jays’s postseason surge.

The Blue Jays have been playing incredible baseball as of late. The Jays have won seven of their last 10 games. Guerrero’s exceptional play at the plate has helped Toronto win as many games as they have as they inch closer to get that AL Wild Card bid.

It would be hard to have a conversation about the NL MVP, without mentioning Bryce Harper. Harper entered the conversation after putting up some of the best numbers in baseball since Aug. He currently leads the MLB in on-base percentage plus slugging with 1.047.

Harper, who has been with the Phillies since 2019, has played a key role in the lineup. Since the start of August he has batted .346 with 17 homers. Harper, who has been a little up and down throughout his career, has really come into his own this season and remains one of the leaders in the race for NL MVP. 

Another emerging superstar form the National League is Fernando Tatis Jr. This season Fernando has smacked 39 home runs, the best in the NL, as well as leading the MLB in slugging with .620. Alongside Manny Machado, Tatis has helped the San Diego Padres’s culture go from a team with no hopes of making the playoffs to a playoff contending team. 

Although the Padres hopes of making the postseason seem to be dwindling, the club they have put together will surely be in the conversation for next year.