This was very difficult. Even after reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton was traded to the American League, there are still way more than five players that could take the hardware in 2018. Though, it was my job to narrow it down to five, so here we go.

1. Joey Votto – Cincinatti Reds

Stanton was the favorite to win MVP last year after hitting .281/.376/.631 with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs, and he did. In fact, Joey Votto got the same number of first place votes as Stanton (10) and only lost by two points, 302 to 300. It was the fourth-closest MVP vote in MLB history behind only 1979 when Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell tied for the award, 1947 when Joe DiMaggio (202) beat Ted Williams (201) by one point and 1944 when Marty Marion (190) finished one point ahead of Bill Nicholson (189).

Votto, 34, plays for an underwhelming Reds team. Yet, year in and year out, he puts up monster numbers. Last season was no exception as he hit .320/.454/.578 with 36 home runs, 100 RBIs, 165 wRC+ and a 7.6 bWAR. His 1.032 OPS led the National League while his 134 walks, .454 OBP, 20 intentional walks and 162 games played all led the Majors. He also played Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base with 11 DRS and a 6.6 UZR.

Despite his age, he just keeps getting better. He’s got the best batting eye in the game, which is one of the reasons his .428 career on-base percentage is the highest among active players. The 2010 NL MVP isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and you should see his name right atop MVP voting again in 2018.

2. Paul Goldschmidt – Arizona Diamondbacks

Goldy is, in my opinion, the most underrated position player in the Major Leagues. He very quietly puts up stellar numbers every season, both on offense and defense. Last year he hit .297/.404/.563 with 36 home runs, 120 RBIs, 18 stolen bases, 142 wRC+ and a 5.8 bWAR. He also won the Gold Glove thanks to his 10 DRS and 3.7 UZR, and the Silver Slugger for NL first basemen. (Can someone please tell me why Votto didn’t win both those awards? Is there something beyond the numbers I’m not seeing?)

The thing about Goldschmidt is that he’s a 20-20 guy easy, with the potential to be a 30-30 guy. He’s stolen as many as 32 bases in a season, which he did in 2016, and has hit as many as 36 home runs which he has done twice. The MVP voters know he’s out there, as since 2013 he has finished in the top-3 in voting three times — Second in 2013, second in 2015, and third in 2017. Still at just 30 years old, betting on him to make a run at NL MVP is a very safe bet.

3. Charlie Blackmon – Colorado Rockies

This guy had too good of a 2017 to leave off this list. The center fielder finished 5th in MVP voting despite winning the batting title with his .331 batting average. All in all, he slashed .331/.399/.601 with 37 home runs, 104 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, 141 wRC+ and a 6.0 bWAR. He doesn’t play great defense to help his cause, tallying -5 DRS and a -0.6 UZR in center field last season.

Blackmon, 31, led the Major Leagues with 725 plate appearances, 213 hits, 137 runs, 14 triples, and 387 total bases last season. His great 2016 campaign (.324/.381/.552, 27 HRs) created some skeptics who called it a fluke, but his stellar 2017 numbers put those concerns to rest. He is also in a walk year, which always offers some extra motivation to put up better numbers.

The thing about Blackmon that sets him apart from others on this list is his speed. While he stole just 14 bases last season, he has stolen as many as 43 in a season which he did in 2015. Because he’s in a walk year, he could try to steal more in an effort to boost his value.

The only foreseeable reasons as to what could hurt his MVP candidacy would be voters weighing his numbers against the helpfulness of Coors Field, as well as his splitting votes with the next guy on this list. Regardless, he should still end up playing well enough to finish near the top of anyone’s list.

4. Nolan Arenado – Colorado Rockies

In 2015, Arenado finished 8th in MVP voting. In 2016, he finished 5th and in 2017 he finished 4th. So, because of that and the fact that he mashes the ball, as well as plays Gold Glove defense at third base, I’m ranking him fourth on this list.

Last year was the first time since 2014 when he did not lead the National League in home runs and RBIs. In 2017 he hit .309/.373/.586 with 37 home runs, 130 RBIs, 129 wRC+ and a 7.2 bWAR. He also won the NL Gold Glove for third basemen for the 5th year in a row (he’s won it every year, including his rookie year), thanks to his 20 DRS and 6.7 UZR. This was the third straight season he drove in at least 130 runs and tallied at least 350 total bases, but there is a reason I didn’t rank him higher on this list.

His .309 batting average last season marked the first time in his career he eclipsed .300 for a season. However, it was also the first time in his career that his BABIP (.320) was higher than .300. His fly ball rate has stayed steady the last three seasons, hovering around 45%, so the home runs will probably still be there. However, I would expect his batting average to dip back below .300 this season.

MVP voters almost always take Coors Field into account too, which could further hurt his candidacy, as well as the possibility he splits some votes with teammate Charlie Blackmon. Despite that, he always puts up phenomenal numbers and should make another bid for NL MVP in 2018.

5. Bryce Harper – Washington Nationals

I came very close to putting Anthony Rendon in this fifth spot, but I had to give it to his teammate Bryce Harper. He already has an MVP under his belt when he put up a monster 1.109 OPS in 2015 at the age of 22. Injury curtailed his 2017 season but, when healthy, he played extremely well.

In 111 games he hit .319/.413/.595 with 29 home runs, 87 RBIs, 156 wRC+ and a 4.7 bWAR. He also had a good season on defense, tallying 4 DRS and a 4.2 UZR/150 in right field. He will continue to have great protection in the Nationals lineup thanks to Rendon, Daniel Murphy, Trea Turner and Ryan Zimmerman and will play in a division with the pitching-weak Phillies, Marlins, and Braves. If he stays healthy, he should garner lots of votes for NL MVP in 2018.

Honorable Mentions: Clayton Kershaw, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Max Scherzer, Marcell Ozuna, and Yoenis Cespedes