MLB Experts Pick 3 Dodgers As Current MVP Frontrunners In National League

A new Dodgers slugger has emerged in the MVP poll.

We are officially at the midpoint of June, as the MLB season continues to fly by. While the Dodgers pitching staff has struggled at this point in the year, the hitting has more than kept them afloat.

Three players in particular have dominated as of late, and they've earned themselves some serious recognition around the league. 

The experts at MLB.com ran an MVP poll at the midway point in June, and three Dodgers were among the vote-getters. Freddie Freeman came in at second (with four first-place votes), Mookie Betts came in at fifth and J.D. Martinez received at least one vote. Here's what Thomas Harrigan said about Freeman.

"The 2020 NL MVP is squarely in the running for another, hitting .338 with 13 homers, 24 doubles, 44 RBIs, 57 runs and a .999 OPS over 66 games this season. That includes a .405 batting average and a 1.219 OPS across his past 29 games."

And Betts got some high praise from Harrigan, too.

"Betts’ consistent excellence almost flies under the radar at this point, but he’s on track to earn the fifth top-five MVP finish in the past eight years. After setting a personal best with 35 homers in 2022, Betts already has 17 big flies in 2023, giving him a chance to reach the 40-homer plateau for the first time."

Freeman and Betts are definitely deserving of MVP consideration right now, but it's nice to see Martinez getting some respect at this point in the year, too.

The Dodgers signed Martinez to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, hoping to get some production out of the 35-year-old declining veteran. It's safe to say that move worked out.

J.D. Martinez just hit his 16th home run of the year to give the Dodgers a 9-0 lead.

He had 16 home runs in 596 plate appearances with the Red Sox last year.

He has 16 home runs in 211 plate appearances with the Dodgers this year.

1-year. $10 million. Steal of the offseason.

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 10, 2023

Martinez needed just 211 plate appearances to match his home run total in 596 plate appearances last year, and is proving to be one of the steals of the offseason. He's already the leading vote-getter among designated hitters in the National League for the All-Star game, but it's nice to see him getting even more recognition for his incredible play early this season.

Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves is the clear MVP frontrunner as of today, but a lot can change between June and the end of the season. If Freeman and Betts can continue to swing the bat and impact the game the way they have, they can find themselves even higher on this list as the year goes on.