Matt Kemp for MVP? Let's See How He Stacks Up Against the NL's Best

Matt Kemp for MVP?

If I would have told you this a year ago, you would have laughed at me harder than at Frank McCourt announcing that he is running for Mayor of Los Angeles.

What a difference a year makes. Kemp has seemingly put all of his focus on baseball this year—thankfully there has not been a Rihannagate 2.0—and has proven his doubters wrong.

But is Dodgers outfielder Kemp worthy of the NL MVP?

With apologies to:

Dan Uggla (Still hitting .231 even after a 33-game hitting streak in which he his average was .380)

Ryan Howard (He's on the team with the best record in baseball, but has only a .250 average and with that pitching staff their record would be similar without him.)

Let's state the case for the top players in the NL.

Jose Reyes

MVP Resume (With NL Ranking in Parenthesis)

Batting Average - .336 (1)

Stolen Bases - 34 (2)

Runs Scored - 80 (1)

Reyes has been so dominant that he's played too well to get traded (When was the last time you've seen that?) The four-time All-Star showed why he is still considered the top shortstop in baseball not named Troy Tulowitzki.

What hurts his case:

Well, the fact that he's hurt. Reyes has only played in 98 games this year, which is the lowest among those featured in this slideshow.

Also, playing for the Mets, who are currently 20.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East, though, much of that could be attributed to Reyes' absence (and the fact that they're the Mets).

Ryan Braun

MVP Resume (With NL Ranking in Parenthesis)

Batting Average- .326 (2)

Home Runs - 22 (12)

RBIs- 77 (6)

Ryan Braun is helping the Brew Crew, which currently has a 5 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals, and is hitting .343 since the All-Star Break.

What hurts his case:

Braun will lose some votes because he is part of the two-headed monster that the Brewers send out with Prince Fielder.

Braun may also need a big power surge heading into the final weeks of the year if he wants to outpace Fielder, or some of the other contenders.

Prince Fielder

MVP Resume (With NL Ranking in Parenthesis)

Batting Average - .305 (13)

Home Runs- 27 (4)

RBIs - 89 (2)

BB - 77 (2)

The 2011 Home Run Derby winner teams with Braun to make opposing pitchers' lives a living nightmare. The Brewers are on fire right now, winning nine out of their last 10 games, and Fielder has been right in the middle of that, hitting .395 with 3HR and 11RBIs in that span

What hurts his case:

See the Braun Slide.

Will this be the year that Fielder, who has finished in the top five in the MVP voting in the past, will be crowned king?

Justin Upton

MVP Resume (With NL Ranking in Parenthesis)

Batting Average - .306 (12)

Home Runs - 25 (9)

RBIs- 75 (8)

Stolen Bases 18 (16)

Upton has been the star on the best team in the NL West. Upton has to be given consideration given that not much was expected from the Diamondbacks this year. Upton also combines his power numbers with speed on the base paths, which shows how much of a complete player he is.

What hurts his case:

There is a very good chance that Arizona's pitching doesn't hold up, and the Giants pass them in the standings before the regular season ends. Though, Upton has put up nice numbers, they don't look as nice if the team isn't in first place.

Matt Kemp

MVP Resume (With NL Ranking in Parenthesis)

Batting Average - .320 (4)

Home Runs - 28 (1)

RBIs - 89 (2)

Stolen Bases - 31 (3)

The Bison (such an underrated nickname) has been an absolute beast this year. Even though he is in the top five in all of the triple crown categories, it would take even more magic to somehow get there. Barring any type of injury, Kemp will become the first member of the 30/30 club since Ian Kinsler in 2009.

On this pace, Kemp may also get to the elusive 40/40 club which has four members, last of which was Alfonso Soriano (don't worry, it surprised me too) in 2006

What hurts his case:

He plays for a team that is currently nine games under .500 and has NO chance at making the postseason.

Kemp also ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts and only has only had four stolen bases since the All-Star break

Your NL MVP Is......

Matt Kemp!

Now, everyone who is saying I'm just making a homer pick, bear with me for one second.

I actually think that playing for the Dodgers help's with Kemp's MVP bid. The Dodgers have been an absolute mess all year thanks to all the off-the-field issues surrounding ownership, yet Kemp, who has been accused of not being focused in the past, has been a leader in the clubhouse every step of the way.

Voters may be sympathetic to what's been going on in LA, and that may show in the voting

All that being said, there's a couple of things that still need to happen to make this prediction come true.

1. Kemp has to make the 40/40 club. Only four players in history have done this (Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano), and all have been implicated at some point or another for using steroids. Unless someone has some information about Kemp that I don't, that makes that feat even more amazing.

2. The Dodgers have to make some sort of a run towards first place. No, they are not going to make the playoffs, but if they can finish less than 10 games out of the division lead, that will help his case greatly

3. Philadelphia needs to come back to the pack some in the NL East. They are currently up by nine games, and with Howard leading the NL in RBI's while being on the heels of Kemp in the HR category with 26, the man in the middle of the Phillies attack could easily notch his second MVP.

4. Dan Uggla cannot go on another 30-game hitting streak. If Uggla wasn't hitting .173 before the streak, he would be the front runner for the MVP. In his last 30 games, Uggla has hit .380 with 12 HR's, yet he's still only hitting .231 for the season.