Giancarlo Stanton

As the MLB regular season wraps up its final week, there are a few players who are making last pushes to solidify their cases the for individual awards, and one of the most heated races is the competition for the NL MVP crown.

Did Giancarlo Stanton do enough before his injury? Does a pitcher really deserve to win an MVP? Or are there a few dark horses running around and ready to steal the show?

Sympathy is a powerful thing.

Giancarlo Stanton, the Miami Marlins poster boy with the movie-star looks, glittery smile and enough thunder in his bat to make Mighty Casey look like a slap-hitting second baseman, has that on his side in this year’s National League MVP race.

After defeating the San Diego Padres on Monday night and notching his 18th win of the season, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has forced his way into the National League MVP discussion with just a little more than two weeks left in the regular season.

Entering Friday's action, Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins is the current National League leader in home runs (36), RBI (102) and slugging percentage (.566). If he's able to maintain his status in all three categories through the end of the season, he'll be the first NL player to do so since Dante Bichette of the 1995 Colorado Rockies, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit his 149th career home run in Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, thus moving past Hanley Ramirez for sole possession of second place on the Marlins' all-time

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