If you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have said MVP Pujols and CY Carpenter, easily. Now maybe both still, but maybe not.
On September 10, Pujols was hitting .338 with 39 HRs and 107 RBI and a season-high 1.068 OPS. Now he's hitting .333 with the same 39 HRs and only a few more RBI, 110, and an OPS down closer to 1.040. In the last 14 games, Prince Albert is hitting only .267 with 0 HR and 3 RBI. His feet and leg have been paining him, curtailing his power.
The thing is, Andy Jones has tailed off, too, with only a few RBI in his last ten games. Sure he's got the HR and the RBI, but he's hitting only .265 for the year and his OPS is well down the line.
Derrek Lee has continued strong, and his stats are at least as good as Albert's, and even a little better. But people hold the Cubs' mediocre team standing against him.
Those are the only three legitimate candidates for MVP. I think Albert still might have the edge.
Two weeks ago, I thought Carpenter was even more of a lock than Pujols. But now I think less. Willis may have pulled past Carp. He's got one more win and better ERA now. In his last three starts, Carp has gone from bad to worse to worst. Over that span, he's 0-1, 15.2 innings, 27 hits, 17 ER, and a 10.07 ERA. In contrast, over his last three starts, Willis is 2-1, 25 innings, 17 hits, 5 ER, and a 1.80 ERA. Now I'd rate the CY a toss-up between the two, depending on their start(s) this week.
So 1) Pujols, 2) Lee, 3) Jones for NL MVP. 1T) Willis and Carp for CY.
AL next.
I think Lee is the frontrunner, and has been so all season. Sure, his team hasn't been making much noise in the standings, but I think the man has clearly been the best player in the National League this year, and by a good edge.