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Barry Bonds is once again the favorite for NL MVP.  (Justin Sullivan/AP)

MVP

Barry Bonds, LF, San Francisco Giants
Awards are seldom won in half a season, yet it is hard not to look at the first-half production of Barry Bonds and envision a scenario where he won't win what would be an unprecedented fifth Most Valuable Player Award this season.

Bonds, who is trying to become the first player to twice win back-to-back MVP Awards (he won it in 1990, 1992-93 and again last season) is among the league leaders in a dozen offensive categories and the Giants are in the thick of the National League West race.

Of course a lot can happen in the second half of the season, so Bonds' frontrunner status for the MVP Award may prove to be just that.

Should Bonds falter there are a number of other candidates for NL MVP, including:

Vladimir Guerrero, RF, Montreal Expos: The slugging right fielder is in the top eight in the Triple Crown categories (HR, RBIs, BA.) for the surprising Expos. If Montreal hangs tough and Guerrero does too, he could finish in the top three in the MVP voting, which certainly wouldn't hurt his value next winter.

Jim Edmonds, CF, St. Louis Cardinals: Edmonds has helped keep the tragedy-stricken Cardinals on top with a solid first half. Only Bonds and Sammy Sosa have a better on-base plus slugging percentage than Edmonds.