MLB MVP candidates heading into 2018

The reigning AL MVP, Altuve has led the AL in hits in four straight seasons and won batting titles in three out of four seasons. Since his power growth in 2016, he's firmly among the elite players in the game and turns just 28 in May.

Arenado has won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger at third base in three straight seasons, and he finished a career-best fourth in the NL MVP voting last year. Incredibly, Arenado finished with at least 130 RBI in three consecutive seasons, and his OPS has increased in every year of his career.

Betts is coming off a down year relative to 2016, but he still won a Gold Glove and finished sixth in the AL MVP voting. For his career, Betts has hit .292, and he had more than 100 RBI and 100 runs scored in consecutive seasons. It's incredible production for a player just entering his age 25 season.

Blackmon has enjoyed the perks of playing his home games at Coors Field for his entire career as he enters his walk year. He finished fifth in the NL MVP voting last season after winning the batting title and leading the league in hits (213) and runs (137). There's been talk of moving Blackmon to the middle of the order after he hit 37 home runs last season.

Bryant regressed after winning the NL MVP in 2016, but he still finished seventh in the voting after hitting .295-29-73 with 111 runs scored. His walk rate has continued to increase, helping him produce a career-high .946 OPS last season.

Already a household name at age 23, Correa hit .315-24-84 in only 109 regular-season games last season. He followed up his regular season with a great playoff showing and could be in for a mammoth season if he can stay healthy this year.

Freeman struggled to stay healthy for the second time in three years, but he still manged to produced an elite .989 OPS and hit .307-28-71 in 117 games. Just entering his prime at age 28, Freeman hits in the middle of an Atlanta lineup that is bursting with young talent.

The consistent Goldschmidt finished third in NL MVP voting last season, the third time he's finished in the top three. He produced a .966 OPS and tied his career high of 36 home runs for the playoff-bound Diamondbacks. Home runs could be tougher to come by this season after Chase Field installed a humidor to suppress hitting, but Goldschmidt remains a top NL MVP candidate.

The 2015 NL MVP, Harper has a free agent offseason to anticipate next year. The five-time All-Star played only 111 games last season due to injury, but he still hit .319-29-87 with a 1.008 OPS when he did play. Another MVP Award would only increase what is likely to be the biggest contract in MLB history next year.

Judge was the likely Rookie of the Year and MVP in the AL last season until his second-half slump, when he hit just .228. He still hit .284-52-114 with a league-leading 128 runs for the season, taking home Rookie of the Year and finishing second in MVP voting. The addition of Giancarlo Stanton gives pitchers even more reason to fear the Yankees' lineup.

Kershaw has averaged 24 starts over the last two seasons due to injury, but he still won the ERA title in the NL last season. The three-time Cy Young winner and 2014 NL MVP should get back in the running for another award if he can stay healthy.

Kluber won his second AL Cy Young Award last season and finished a career-best seventh in the MVP voting. That's especially impressive considering that he made only 29 starts. Kluber's value to Cleveland was evident by almost any pitching measurement, including a league-best 2.25 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 1.6 BB/9.

Lindor continues to ascend into stardom with Cleveland. He made his second straight All-Star appearance last year and finished fifth in AL MVP voting, hitting .273-33-89 with 15 stolen bases at age 23. The sky seems to be the limit for Lindor.

Machado is moving from third base to shortstop full time as he enters his walk year. He has more than 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons, though Machado's .259 batting average last year was a bit of a disappointment. Still, he finished top five in MVP voting in the previous two seasons and is just entering his age 25 season.

Martinez signed with the Red Sox recently after hitting a career-high 45 home runs in only 119 games between the Tigers and Diamondbacks last season. Boston hopes the right-handed hitter's home runs will climb even further launching bombs over the Green Monster.

There's a perception that Posey, the 2012 NL MVP, is coming off a down year, but he produced the third best OPS of his career and hit above .300 for the fifth time. The Giants added Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen to support Posey this season.

Rizzo has been Mr. Consistency for the Cubs, posting an OPS between .899-.928 in each of the last four seasons. He finished fourth in NL MVP voting in both 2015 and 2016, and he's just entering his age 28 season.

There was concern about Sale's first season pitching at Fenway Park last year, but he reacted by leading the AL in innings and strikeouts. He finished a very close second to Corey Kluber in the AL Cy Young voting and ninth in the MVP voting. The strikeouts and pitching style resemble the closest thing we've seen to Randy Johnson, who seemed to only get better with age.

After winning the NL Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the MVP vote in 2016, Seager fell off slightly last season due to a nagging elbow issue in the second half. He still hit .295-22-77, and Seager's minor league production shows that he has plenty more where that came from.

Severino had a breakout 2017 season, finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting while winning 14 games with a 2.98 ERA in 193.1 innings. With the incredible lineup and bullpen surrounding him, Severino could get a boost in the MVP voting if he has a great year.

The reigning NL MVP was sold off by the Marlins to the Yankees in the great Derek Jeter purge. He led the NL with 59 home runs and 132 RBI, and he will have plenty of support in the Yankees' lineup with the likes of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez protecting him.

Despite playing only 114 games due to a thumb injury, Trout finished top five in AL MVP voting for the sixth consecutive season in 2017. A two-time winner of the award, Trout produced a career-high 1.071 OPS with 33 home runs and 22 stolen bases in his limited games. The Angels have finally brought in a roster to complement Trout, with Justin Upton, Zack Cozart, Ian Kinsler and two-way rookie sensation Shohei Ohtani.

Turner played only 98 games due to injury last season but still nearly picked up right where he left off in 2016, when he had an incredible second-half run. Over the last two seasons, Turner has hit .309-24-85 with 79 steals and 128 runs in 171 games. If he can stay healthy, the counting stats could be massive.

Votto continues to be an on-base machine, winning his sixth career NL OBP title last season. That helped the former MVP finish second in the voting with a league-best 1.032 OPS at age 33. Even entering his mid-30s, there seems to be plenty left in Votto's tank.