At this time last year, Jake Arrieta Noah Syndergaard Jersey had an ERA of 3.07 and we really had no idea the brilliance he was going to display the rest of the season, which ended with the Cubs right-hander posting a 1.77 ERA and winning the NL Cy Young award. Carlos Correa, who wound up winning the AL rookie of the year award, had only been in the majors for a couple weeks by late June.

On the other hand, eventual NL MVP Bryce Harper was already hitting in the .340 range andAL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel was cruising along with an ERA a shade above 2.00.

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Sometimes, its hard to know whos going to win the year-end awards in June. Sometimes, you have a pretty good idea what guys are the favorites. With that second thought in mind, lets take a look at the current front-runners in each of the primary three categories for each league.

The favorite: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Poor Nolan Arenado. Colorados third baseman is having a phenomenal season, one worthy of MVP recognition, but Kershaw is doing just silly things, even by Kershaw standards. Kershaw won the NL MVP in 2014, as you remember. Lets compare those numbers to what hes doing this year.

Kershaw, 2014: 1.77 ERA, 1.81 FIP, 0.857 WHIP, 6.3 H/9, 10.8 K/9, 7.71 K/BBKershaw, 2016: 1.57 ERA, 1.58 FIP, 0.670 WHIP, 5.5 H/9, 11.0 K/9, 20.14 K/BB

Yeah. Just amazing. Tom Seaver Jersey

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The contenders: Nolan Arenado, Rockies (.296, 21 homers, 61 RBIs, .961 OPS), Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (.296, 11 homers, .975 OPS), Noah Syndergaard, Mets (2.08 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 10.9 K/9), Marcel Ozuna, Marlins (.322, 16 homers, .951 OPS), Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (.296, .14 homers, .945 OPS), Jose Fernandez, Marlins (2.36 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 12.8 K/9), Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (.277, 17 homers, .960 OPS)

The favorite: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

No surprise here. Hes well ahead of the field, even though the field has some pretty impre sive performances (look at the numbers below). Thats how good Kershaw has been in 2016.

The contenders: Noah Syndergaard, Mets (2.08 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 10.9 K/9), Jose Fernandez, Marlins (2.36 ERA, 2.04 FIP, 12.8 K/9), Jake Arrieta, Cubs (1.74 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 9.8 K/9), Madison Bumgarner, Giants (1.85 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 10.2 K/9), Johnny Cueto, Giants (2.06 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 7.9 K/9), Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (2.90 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 11.4 K/9)

The Matt Harvey Jersey favorite: Corey Seager, Dodgers

Seager has been so very huge for a Dodgers team thats often struggled offensively he leads the club in homers (16), RBIs (37), average (.289), OPS (.867), runs (47) and total bases (149). Thats not too shabby for a shortstop who just turned 22 in April, eh?

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The contenders: Aledmys Diaz, Cardinals (.310, 9 homers, .858 OPS), Steven Matz, Mets (2.74 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 12 starts, 9.03 K/9), Trevor Story, Rockies (18 homers, .869 Neil Walker Jersey OPS), Kenta Maeda, Dodgers (2.64 ERA, 14 starts, 8.7 K/9), Seung-hwan Oh, Cardinals (1.70 ERA, 36 appearances, 12.2 K/9), Trayce Thompson, Dodgers (11 homers, .805 OPS), Ryan Butcher, Padres (1.65 ERA, 35 appearances, 13.0 K/9)

The favorite: Jose Altuve, Astros

The race for the AL MVP is, by far, the most compelling race at this point of the season. We have Altuve up top (heres an in-depth look at why hes been better this year), but you could make an incredibly strong case for any of the first four players listed among the contenders. Theyre all e sentially even in WAR numbers, both by the Baseball-Reference formula and the FanGraphs formula. Altuve, who will be the AL starter at second base in the All-Star Game, has a .343/.425/.551 slash line, with 12 homers, 18 stolen bases and 21 doubles.

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The contenders: Manny Machado, Orioles (.317, 17 homers, .985 OPS), Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox (.351, 9 homers, 10 stolen bases), Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays (.279, 17 homers, .402 wOBA), Mike Trout, Angels (.300, 14 homers, 10 stolen bases, .930 OPS), David Ortiz, Red Sox (.340, 18 homers, 60 RBIs, 1.128 OPS), Francisco Lindor, Indians (.307, 8 homers, 12 stolen bases), Robinson Cano (.296, 19 homers)

The favorite: Chris Sale, White Sox

Maybe this is the year Sale finally gets his Cy Young; hes finished in the top six in the voting each of the past four seasons. The thing is, this hasnt been Sales best season, as far as the rate numbers are concerned. His strikeouts are down his K/9 rate of 8.7 is well below his career average heading into this season (10.3 Juan Lagares Jersey ) and his 3.28 FIP is actually the worst of his career. But thats kind of the point of how great Sale has been in his career. Hes putting together a normal season by his standards, and it still has him near the top of the Cy Young conversation.

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The contenders: Danny Salazar, Indians (2.23 ERA, 10.7 K.9), Corey Kluber, Indians (2.83 FIP, 9.03 K/9), Steven Wright, Red Sox (2.01 ERA, 7.3 K/9), Marco Estrada, Blue Jays (2.70 ERA, 8.1 K/9), Masahiro Tanaka Jay Bruce Jersey , Yankees (2.91 ERA, 1.004 WHIP, 3.36 FIP)

The favorite: Nomar Mazara, Rangers

Mazara, the lefty with the sweet swing, been a huge part of Texas run to the top of the AL. Hes popped 11 homers to go with his .288 average, 30 RBIs and 30 runs scored, all while batting primarily No. 2 or No. 3 in the Texas lineup.

The contenders: Michael Fullmer, Tigers (2.40 ERA, 11 starts, 8.5 K/9), Christopher Devenski, Astros (2.37 ERA, 49 1/3 innings, 7.8 K/9),Whit Merrifield, Royals (.320, 13 RBIs), Dae-Ho Lee, Mariners (.282, 10 homers), Matt Bush, Rangers (1.02 ERA, 19 appearances, 9.7 K/9), Tyler Naquin, Indians (.318, 4 homers, .927 OPS)