Reds 1B Joey Votto was announced earlier today as the N.L. M.V.P. Well...not yet, but he is headed in the right direction.

This other guy you might have heard of named Pujols has had a pretty good start to the season too. "The Machine" (I love that commercial by the way) has already won the M.V.P. 1000 times, so isn't it someone else's turn?

Cincinnati's 1B comes in at No. 5 in the N.L., batting .373. Votto ranks fourth in RBI. with 15. Those 15 runs come with an offense that has only scored 58 times this season, which is 13th in the N.L.

Votto's On Base Percentage .431 is 13th in the league. This number would be higher if his teammates were hitting better around him. His Slugging Percentage is .644, good enough for 6th.  

The Toronto native isn't just another overweight 1B either. His Fielding Percentage ties him for 12th. He fields at .992, but has only one error in 120 total chances. His defense has gotten better along with his bat.

Votto continued his latest tear Thursday. He went 4-for-5 at the Cubs, with two doubles and a homer. He also drove in two runs.  

Is it still way to early to call this race? Absolutely. It will be interesting down the stretch though, to see if Votto can stay healthy and keep pace with Albert. No. 19 and his team, will be around to make some noise in September.