Matt Carpenter is becoming St. Louis Cardinals MVP

A while ago, I would have agreed with Chris that St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is a MVP candidate but now I think it will be second baseman Matt Carpenter who receives more votes when all is said and done.
Sep 13, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter (right) points to catcher Yadier Molina (not pictured) after he threw out Seattle Mariners left fielder Dustin Ackley (left) during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. St. Louis defeated Seattle 2-1 in 10 innings. Image Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
I’ve been giving this some thought for a few weeks now and until he sprained his ankle, first baseman Allen Craig was certainly in discussion for everything that he’s done while hitting with runners in scoring position.

MLB.com beat writer Jenifer Langosch profiled the second baseman, who is currently leading the team in batting average by a point or two.

Look at the statistical categories in which Carpenter is leading the league: hits (183), runs scored (116), doubles (50) and multihit games (58). With RISP, Carpenter is batting .404 this season. Overall, his .319 batting average is fifth in the league. There have sixteen games this past season in which Carpenter had at least three hits. Carpenter leads the Cardinals with a WAR of 6.1, which ranks fourth amongst position players in the NL.

“You just look at what Matt has accomplished this year, especially a guy that just never had the route paved for him, and what he’s been able to overcome and the things that he’s been able to do just purely by will and hard work and talent, obviously,” manager Mike Matheny said in an MLB.com article. “It’s got to be very rewarding for him. It’s paying off because of the way he’s going about it. He’s won over the respect and admiration of the league, the fans and absolutely the clubhouse.”