It seemed like a foregone conclusion with the way things were going: Fernando Tatís Jr. was going to all but run away with the National League MVP.
Through games played on August 31, Tatís held a 0.8-win lead in fWAR over the next-closest National League player, Mike Yastrzemski. He was slashing .313/.395/.660 in 167 plate appearances, good for a 178 wRC+ that ranked sixth in the NL. Those numbers, in tandem with much-improved defense and the fact that he was leading the ever-so-fun Padres to their first postseason appearance since 2006, made him the obvious front runner.