Every week until the end of the season, we'll take a look at the top players in the National League and size up their candidacy for MVP.

NL MVP Power Rankings

Rank Player Team Prev. Rank 1 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers 1

Last week I stated Kershaw needed to reach the 20-win plateau in order to be considered for the MVP, and he did just that on Friday vs. the Chicago Cubs. The outing was hardly impressive, however, as the lefty was touched up for three runs on seven hits over five innings. The last time Kershaw threw only five innings in a start: June 8. Regardless, the 26-year-old seems poised to capture both the Cy Young and MVP awards thanks to his sparkling 1.80 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. He's also third in the NL with 228 strikeouts behind Johnny Cueto and Stephen Strasburg.

Rank Player Team Prev. Rank 2 Giancarlo Stanton Marlins 2

Stanton's MVP bid was derailed by his season-ending injury, but he's by far the most worthy position player in consideration for the award. His 37 homers, .555 slugging percentage, and .950 OPS are all tops in the NL, making him, without a doubt, the most feared power hitter in the league. Don't be surprised if Stanton's name is called in November, and don't underestimate the sympathy vote he'll receive for taking that Mike Fiers pitch to the face that ended his season.

Rank Player Team Prev. Rank 3 Andrew McCutchen Pirates 3

The reigning NL MVP was a major reason why the Pirates went 5-1 this week to steal away the top NL wild-card spot from the San Francisco Giants. McCutchen's .310 average, 23 home runs and 75 RBIs won't stack up with Stanton's beastly numbers, but McCutchen's value as the undisputed leader of the Bucs can't be ignored. Unfortunately, he probably won't repeat as MVP, but McCutchen will always be No. 1 in the hearts of the team's faithful fans that are hoping for a deep playoff run.

Rank Player Team Prev. Rank 4 Buster Posey Giants 4

Posey cooled off a little bit this week and the Giants went 2-4 as a result. San Francisco's three-game sweep at the hands of the lowly San Diego Padres over the weekend is inexcusable at this critical juncture of the year, and critics will be quick to point the finger at Posey despite his .413 batting average in September. To say he's a long shot for the award at this point would be a huge understatement.

Rank Player Team Prev. Rank 5 Adrian Gonzalez Dodgers -

A-Gon cracks the top five this week, replacing Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon in the rankings. Gonzalez has been an iron man for the Dodgers, playing in all but three games to this point. And I really believe he's one of the most underrated players in the league. He's quietly put up an NL-best 112 RBIs and his 25 homers are nothing to sneeze at. Gonzalez doesn't have the flair that a Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp or Kershaw display on a nightly basis, but he's definitely the unsung hero for the playoff-bound Dodgers.