Ryan Braun fattening MVP resume

In a season in which there are several players in the NL worthy of MVP consideration, the Brewers' Ryan Braun is starting to separate himself from the pack.

Entering play Monday, Braun leads the NL with a .336 batting average, .597 slugging percentage, .997 OPS, 318 total bases and 103 runs scored.

Beyond that, Braun is tied for seventh with 31 homers, is fifth with 103 RBI, tied for fourth with 179 hits, tied for fifth with 36 doubles, fourth with .400 OBP, second with 72 extra-base hits, fifth with a .338 average with runners in scoring position and tied for seventh with 31 stolen bases.
That's quite an argument for MVP, wouldn't you say?

The other top candidates seem to be Braun's teammate Prince Fielder, Arizona's Justin Upton and Los Angeles' Matt Kemp, who is among the top three in nearly every category but won't be helped by the fact that the Dodgers haven't been in the pennant race.

Fielder is first in the majors with 153 games played and has these NL rankings: third with 112 RBI, tied for second with 34 homers, second with a .410 OBP, third with a .550 slugging percentage, fourth with a .960 OPS, fifth with 297 total bases, tied for third with 68 extra-base hits and second with 99 walks.

MVP voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America takes place before the post-season but the results are not announced until after the World Series.


(jsonline.com)