Last season, Clayton Kershaw was able to pull off the rare MVP/Cy Young combination in the National League. He had a simply sensational season for a pitcher, and he was very deserving of both awards. With that being said, most people tend to agree that the MVP trophy should go to a position player. If the best guys stay healthy in 2015, it could be a very interesting race in the National League.
Andrew McCutchen is the most recent position player to win the MVP trophy. In 2013, he was able to help the Pittsburgh Pirates make the postseason for the 1st time in two decades. He was pretty productive last year in fantasy baseball, but an untimely injury probably robbed him of the numbers needed to win the award again. As long as his team is a contender, he is likely going to be right there in the MVP mix.
Giancarlo Stanton is one of the most exciting young players in the game, and he was certainly playing like an All-Star in 2014 before getting hit in the face with a pitch. Not only did that errant fastball rob him of a full season, but it very well could have prevented him from winning the MVP award and Miami making a stronger playoff push. He is expected to be fully recovered in 2015, and his special blend of power and average will put him right there with anyone.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have not been serious contenders in the last few years. However, if they can string together some wins early, they could have a MVP candidate of their own. Paul Goldschmidt was very much in the race before getting injured in the middle of the season. Like Stanton, he is now fully recovered, and he will be putting up huge numbers in fantasy baseball. The one thing that will limit him is that his team faces a tough task to be contenders.
Finally, we of course have the reigning champion in Kershaw. There is no reason to doubt him at this point, as he has been about as consistent as they come. He set almost impossible expectations last year, so he could show some slight regression. However, that little bit of regression would not prevent him from MVP consideration.