Votto frontrunner for MVP in 2012?

[LegallyMinded]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Good call on Stanton, though I think he's going to wilt a bit in Miami. Too, the Ks will be held against him, despite his production.

I'm basing Utley on the idea that baseball writers have no clue who's more valuable and he'll hit around 300/350/500 with grit. On a possible 100-win team, he'll be the guy they pick as most valuable.

I like Stanton as a dark horse candidate as well. Regarding the K's, I don't think that will be a problem: Ryan Howard won an MVP striking out a quarter of the time in 2006, and Stanton struck out at about that same rate last year. Also, Stanton cut his K rate quite a bit from 2010 to 2011-- given his age, it seems like that trend might continue.

I think the real problem for Stanton will be the team he plays on. The Marlins made some significant improvements, but I still doubt they finish any better than third in the NL East.