Dodgers News: 2 LA Stars Picked as NL MVP Contenders

The red-hot Dodgers were named early MVP contenders by Fox Sports.

We're in early June, and although the Dodgers aren't as dominant over the National League as they have been in the past, they currently stand in a tie for the best record in the NL with the upstart divisional foe Arizona Diamondbacks as of Friday afternoon with a 34-23 mark.

There's still a long way to go in the regular season with roughly three months worth of games left to go, but analysts are already taking an early look at award season with a good portion of the year in the books.

Fox Sports analysts Rowan Kavner and Jordan Shusterman named their contenders for a variety of MLB awards and a big name Dodger duo were making their presence known throughout.

Newly-minted do-it-all outfielder and shortstop Mookie Betts and hot hitting Gold Glove candidate first baseman Freddie Freeman were each named as NL Most Valuable Player contenders this month, recognition of the years each are having thus far.

For Freeman, he's leading the way for the Dodgers at the plate, standing at second place in the National League with a .346 batting average, and is in the midst of a 20-game hitting streak.

All of that's been enough to earn him praise from a former Dodger fan favorite as well.

Looking at Betts, his work at the plate hasn't gone quite as well as hoped over the course of the entire season, but he's showed off his versatility with the glove when the Dodgers needed it most.

LA has gone through both injury and performance issues with shortstop Miguel Rojas this season, and it's been a mix and match effort to try to patch that hole in the roster.

Since Betts has played at short though, it's been largely smooth operating there and he's been providing much needed relief in the process.

Add in the fact that he has a .364 on base percentage with 10 HRs and 23 RBI over the past month, and Betts seems to be hitting his stride at the plate too.

That combination leads to a dangerous 1-2 punch in LA, and both could be MVP candidates by the time the season rounds the turn into the homestretch.