As the stretch run of the 2009 baseball season approaches, it’s time to look at the National League MVP candidates. A lot of players are having great seasons this season — especially in the NL.
Here are our top four MVP candidates in the National League for the 2009 season:
1. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Is there any question who is at the top of the heap? Pujols has been great all season. Currently he’s hitting .324 with 36 homers, 85 runs and 97 RBIs. If he keeps it up, the NL MVP should be his.
2. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Playing with the …read more

Since the All-Star break, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals had been in a slump. He was hitting just .226 with two homers and five RBIs in 62 at-bats. On Tuesday, that slump came to a screeching halt.
Against the New York Mets, Pujols was 4-for-5 with two homers, three runs, five RBIs and a walk. His first homer came in the 8th inning but it was his home run in the tenth that was the story. With the bases loaded in extra inning, Pujols blasted a grand slam to put the contest out of reach.
When all was said and …read more

Many first baseman around Major League Baseball have gotten off to unbelievable starts to their 2009 campaigns. If you have any of these players on your fantasy baseball team, you are undoubtedly loving the production. Here are the top five first baseman in these fantasy baseball rankings:
5) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
Although his batting average is lower than preferred (.256), Carlos Pena is off to an otherwise fantastic start for the Rays. He already has nine homers in his first 22 games, while also driving in 24 RBIs, scoring 14 runs and walking 11 times.
4) Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox
Kevin …read more

In their second game of the season, the St. Louis Cardinals got their first win of the season. With help from slugger Albert Pujols, the Cardinals were able to top the Pittsburgh Pirates by a final count of 9-3.
Pujols went 2-3 with two walks, three runs and two RBI. His big hit was a two-run shot in the bottom of the third inning off of Pirates starter Ian Snell. The Cardinals also got homers from Chris Duncan and Yadier Molina.
On the mound, the Cardinals got a good performance from starter Kyle Lohse. Over seven innings, Lohse gave up only five …read more

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals has been named the Most Valuable Player of the National League. The 28-year-old first baseman from the Dominican Republic 18 first place votes, while runner up Ryan Howard finished with 12 first place votes.
Pujols finished the season with a .357 and 37 homers, 116 RBIs and 100 runs scored. Despite playing the entire season with a sore elbow, Pujols posted better stats than anyone in the league.
Howard, the first baseman for the World Series winning Philadelphia Phillies, also had quite the season. Howard had 48 homers, 146 RBI and 106 runs in the …read more

Albert Pujols will eventually need surgery on his troublesome elbow. Although he indicated that he might have that surgery this offseason, he has decided he’ll likely have the surgery in the fall of 2009.
Pujols has been dealing with a sore elbow for more than a year. The good news for the St. Louis Cardinals is that the injury doesn’t seem to be limiting Pujols too much. He remains one of the best, if not the best, hitters in the game of baseball.
The reason Pujols is hesitant about the surgery is that he’ll need six to eight months to …read more

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game was an epic contest — for those who kept their eyes open for the duration of the game. The 15 inning affair lasted past 1AM EST. Finally, Michael Young hit a winning sacrifice fly to score Justin Morneau. The American League All-Stars is now undefeated in their last 12 games against the National League All-Stars.
JD Drew was named the MVP of the game, in large part due to his game-tying two-run homer. Even though Albert Pujols was on his side, Brad Lidge gave up the winning sacrifice fly. Here …read more

Here’s a look at the best teams in baseball as we head into the month of July.
1. Boston Red Sox – The defending champions still the best in the business.
2. Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays are starting to look like they are for real.
3. Chicago Cubs – Could the 100-year curse finally be ready to die?
4. Los Angeles Angels – When they get hot, the Angels can beat anyone.
5. St. Louis Cardinals – With Pujols healthy, the Cardinals are good enough.
6. Chicago White Sox – The madder Ozzie Guillen gets, the better they play.
7. Philadelphia Phillies – Does …read more

Albert Pujols suffered a calf injury while running out a ground ball in the seventh inning. Pujols, who is having another great season for the St. Louis Cardinals, had hit a two-run homer earlier in the game.
After the contest, which the Cardinals topped the Cincinnati Reds 7-2, Pujols was diagnosed with a strain calf. Further tests will be performed to determine how long Pujols will be out. Initial reports indicate that St. Louis fears that Pujols will miss a significant amount of games.
Pujols is currently hitting .347 and has 16 homers and 42 RBIs. It’d be …read more

Check out this video of Albert Pujols injuring two San Diego Padres in one inning. First, Pujols lines a pitch off of Padres pitcher Chris Young’s face. Then Pujols slides into the leg of Padres catcher Josh Bard.
While obviously Pujols didn’t try to injure either player, it was definitely a notable coincidence. Young was placed on the DL with an broken nose, while Bard was placed on the DL with a sprained ankle. No word if Pujols plans on going after Tony Gwynn next.