If you happen to run into a baseball writer who has a 2017 NL MVP vote, give that person a hug.Theyll need it.Trying to sort out this years crowded NL MVP race is a nearly impo sible task. As many as six players have had seasons worthy of first-place votes, which means youre going to see vastly different ballots when the totals are released in November.MORE: The 20 worst MVP picks of all timeLets look at the case for each of the primary contenders to win the award Giancarlo Stanton, MarlinsWhy he could win: Hes the favorite. Obviously, Stantons candidacy starts with his 54 home runs thats 16 more than current NL runner-up Cody Bellinger but theres a solid foundation supporting that peak. Miamis favorite slugger has a 1.002 OPS (career high) and .629 slugging percentage (NL-best)to go with excellent totals in the counting stats, too 113 RBIs and 112 runs scored. Hes an outstanding defensive outfielder, too.Paul Goldschmidt, DiamondbacksWhy he could win: Goldschmidt has two runner-up MVP finishes under his belt (2013 and 2015), and this year he could finish anywhere from first to fifth. Hes been his typical outstanding self .308/.414/.585, with 35 homers, 115 RBIs, 109 runs, 17 stolen bases, .998 OPS, .412 wOBA and this year the Diamondbacks are solidly in the playoffs as the first wild-card. After their recent dismantling of the Dodgers, lots of people look at the D-backs as a dark-horse World Series contender, with Goldschmidt as the center of the offense.Joey Votto, RedsWhy he could win: Yes, the Reds very well might finish last in the Rockies Cool Base Custom Purple Jersey NL Central for the third year in a row (theyre in the cellar at the moment, two games behind the Pirates), but Votto is having a best player in the league type of season. His traditional numbers and advanced metrics are both outstanding. Hes tied with Stanton for the best WAR by Baseball-References calculation (6.8) and his FanGraphs WAR of 6.4 is second to Anthony Rendons 6.7. Hes tied for third in the NL with 35 home runs and has95 RBIs and 99 runs scored. Hes batting .317, with NL-best marks in on-base percentage (.435) and OPS (1.035). Hes walked 52 times more than hes struck out (125 to 73), which is kind of amazing, even for Votto. He leads the NL in wOBA (.429) and wRC+ (166). The failings of his teammates really shouldnt be held against him.MORE: 11 worst teams to produce an MVPNolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, RockiesWhy either could win: Theyre both having outstanding seasons, which probably isnt great for either players chances of winning this thing because its difficult to choose between these two guys on the same team. But these two have helped lift the Rockies into a likely spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, which certainly helps.Arenado has a better rWAR (6.7 to 5.6) but Blackmon has a better fWAR (6.3 to 5.4). Arenado is on track to lead the NL in RBIs for the third consecutive season (he has 125, 10 more than runner-up Paul Goldschmidt) and has34 homers (17 at home, 17 on the road, btw), a .309 average, .959 OPS and an NL-best 42 doubles. And, of course, hes arguably the best defensive third baseman in baseball. Blackmon leads the NL in batting average (.332), runs scored (131), triples (14), hits (199) and total bases (365), to go with 35 homers and 93 RBIs while making 144 of his 146 starts batting leadoff for the Rockies.Anthony Rendon, NationalsWhy he could win: Hes far from the biggest name on this team, but Rendon has had a quietly outstanding season. He leads NL position players in fWAR (6.7) and is Nolan Arenado Womens Cool Base Jersey tied with Goldschmidt for fourth in rWAR (5.9). The slash line is solid (.304/.403/.540), and he has 24 homers, 94 RBIs and 38 doubles. Plus, hes struck out only one time more than hes walked (78 to 77). Will he get any first-place votes? Maybe not, but hes had a season worthy of consideration for that spot.Pitchers?Im certainly not against a pitcher winning the MVP. I had an NL MVP vote in 2014, and Clayton Kershaw was the top name on my ballot, with Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto seventh and eighth, respectively. But it takes a transcendent season for a starter to earn the nod atop the MVP ballot, and even though Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Zack Greinke, Stephen Strasburg, Robbie Ray and Gio Gonzalez have been very good, dont expect to see any of those guys earn a first-place vote on an MVP ballot.Others in the conversation Before Bryce Harper landed on the DL in the middle of August, he was right in the middle of this conversation. Heck, he might have been leading the pack, with his .329 average, 1.034 OPS, 29 homers and 87 RBIs through 106 games. But mi sing this much time means hell be relegated to down-ballot votes. Cubs teammates Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant will get votes, too. Rizzos finished fourth each of the past two seasons, and hell get a couple of votes in that range, too, with his 32 homers, 106 RBIs and .927 OPS. Bryant is the reigning NL MVP and has outstanding metrics, too (hes fourth in fWAR and sixth in rWAR), but his struggles with runners in scoring position (.228, as opposed to .302 with the bases empty) probably is enough of a differentiator to keep him from being a serious candidate for the top spot. What about the Dodgers? They were the NLs best team for the first four months or so of this season, and Ian Desmond Jersey Corey Seager (5.6 fWAR), Justin Turner (.951 OPS) and Cody Bellinger (38 homers) will all earn votes, but not in the top three.