It wasn’t a huge surprise when Buster Posey took home the 2012 National League’s Most Valuable Player trophy after hitting .336 with 24 home runs and 103 runs batted in on the season; however, this is a new year, and there is a vast crop of talent looking forward to knocking Posey off his pedestal. While it’s not exactly an easy task to single out one player who will dominate for all 162 games of the season; based on how their 2012 seasons and 2013 Spring Training finished, these three guys hold the best chances of being crowned the NL MVP come season’s end.

3. Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks

Parra is an unusual specimen. The Venezuelan native broke into the Majors back in 2009 and has been a prominent staple in the Diamondbacks outfield ever since. He finished in eighth place for the NL Rookie of the Year that season; batting .290 with five home runs and 60 runs batted in. Over the last four years, Parra has kept a consistent bat; hitting .282 for his career and is averaging six home runs and 43 runs batted in per season. In 2012 he was taken out of his regular left field spot after the Diamondbacks acquired Jason Kubel in the offseason despite Parra winning a Gold Glove in 2011.

While most critics have viewed Parra as a decent addition to any ball club, 2013 is looking to be Parra’s time-to-shine with the loss of Justin Upton to the #Atlanta Braves#. Years of being viewed as an extra body for the Diamondbacks will potentially motivate Parra to surpass all expectations.

2. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Despite the fact that Braun has had his fair share of probes and suspicion around his name, there is still not a shred of doubt that he is an unbelievable five-tool talent. Braun won the NL MVP in 2011 even though his then teammate Prince Fielder could have easily taken the reigns as well. Both put up similar numbers; however, Braun finished with a batting average 33 points higher than Fielder’s as well as 32 more stolen bases. In 2012, Braun had an even better season than his 2011 campaign, finishing with league-highs in home runs (41), runs (108) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.987), which could have made him the 12th player in Major League Baseball history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Even though Braun finished in second place for the award in 2012, there is little shred of doubt that he will finish in the Top-three in the MVP vote for a third year in a row as his numbers continue to improve year-after-year.

1. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Harper broke into the Majors in 2012 to the tune of a .270 batting average with 22 home runs, 59 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases. His campaign won him the Rookie of the Year award as well as gave him a Top-30 finish in the NL MVP vote as the Washington Nationals made the postseason for the first time since the team relocated to Washington, D.C., and only the second time in the franchise’s history. Harper’s incredible start can only be matched by his Spring Training numbers: .478 average with 3 home runs and 12 runs batted in. With that kind of momentum and confidence going into the season, Harper is on track to join the short list of players who have won the Rookie of the Year and MVP in back-to-back seasons. Whether you love or hate the guy, one cannot deny that he is a force to be reckoned with.