MLB MVP Power Rankings: These 5 NL players dominated Week 3 featuring Nolan Arenado

The 2022 MLB season might still be in its infant stage, but several players, including household names Nolan Arenado and Francisco Lindor, have already begun building their resumes for the 2022 NL MVP Award.

Here's a look at the five players in the National League who have taken early leads in the MVP race.

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# 5 C.J. Cron

Colorado Rockies first basemen C.J. Cron

It's been an electric start to the 2022 season for Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron. The 32-year-old has played with five different teams since 2017. But he has appeared to find a home with the Colorado Rockies, who sport an 8-5 record entering play on April 23.

Cron has already smacked a league-leading six home runs in 2022, and had driven in 16 runs on the season, as of April 23. Nine of those 16 RBIs came between April 16 and April 23. Cron's RBI total at that point was tied for second in the Majors, and tied for first in the NL, alongside fellow first baseman Pete Alonso.

It's been a bit of a surprising start to the season for the Rockies, a team that appeared to be on a rebuild before the end of the MLB lockout. But with an offense led by new additions Kris Bryant and C.J. Cron, the Colorado Rockies might be a much tougher out than originally thought.

#4 Seiya Suzuki

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki

Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki spent nine professional seasons in Japan before heading to the North Side of Chicago, and hasn't missed a beat since entering the Majors. A career .315 hitter in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, Suzuki batted .333 in his first 14 games with the Cubs. Suzuki drove in 12 runs for the Cubs during that timespan, good for fourth in the NL and fifth in all of MLB. The 27-year old has also been an on-base machine for the Cubs. From April 16 to 22, Suzuki ranked tied for fifth among all MLB players in on-base percentage (.500).

Suzuki should be a top contender for the NL Rookie of the Year award come the fall. But if Seiya Suzuki can continue play the way he has over the first three weeks of the season, the Cubs star could garner some MVP votes as well.

#3 Francisco Lindor

New York Mets shorstop Francisco Lindor

It's been a whirlwind 12 months for Francisco Lindor, who was traded from the Guardians after the end of the 2020 season to the New York Mets in a blockbuster trade. However, his first season did not live up to expectations. A career .285 hitter with Cleveland, Lindor hit just .230 with the Mets in 2021. While the 28-year-old did hit 20 home runs with the Mets last season, that figure was his lowest in a full 162-game season since 2016.

This season, though, has been a different story for Lindor. In his first 15 games, Lindor recorded a .304/.403/.589 slash line. He sits third among NL players in Wins Above Replacement (1.4). The Mets were the first team to hit double digits in the win category, and their star shortstop has played a major role in the Amazins' early success to 2022.

#2 Manny Machado

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado

With superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. out of action with a fractured wrist, the Padres have had to heavily lean on their other veteran talent to start 2022. Third baseman Manny Machado has helped fill that void thus far.

Machado entered play on April 23 batting .351, and was just one of seven players in the Majors to have 20 or more hits in the young season. The 29-year-old also entered play on the 23th leading all position players in WAR (1.6).

San Diego will be in for quite the fight for a playoff spot in the NL. So far, though, the Padres have been off to a solid start, sporting a 9-6 record after San Diego's first 15 games. Much of that success can be attributed to the Padres' star third baseman.

# 1 Nolan Arenado

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado

St. Louis stormed out to a 9-4 record to begin 2022, and the Cardinals third baseman, Nolan Arenado, played a large role. As of April 23, Arenado led all MLB hitters in batting average (.413), slugging percentage (.848), and OPS (1.329). The 31-year-old also had the second-highest WAR in all of MLB, only behind the aforementioned Manny Machado.

Arenado has always been a steady hand defensively, and his nine consecutive Gold Glove awards are proof of that. But Nolan can also be a force at the plate, and has been exactly that and then some to start 2022. The California native narrowly missed out on the NL MVP award in 2018, finishing third in the voting behind Javier Baez and the winner, Christian Yelich. If the season ended today, Arenado would most likely be the odds-on favorite for the 2022 NL MVP award.