The final month of the 2014 Major League Baseball season has teams battling for playoff spots.

Other than teams and postseason slots, individual awards are also at stake. The Most Valuable Player Award is the highest regular season honor a player can achieve.

The National League has come down to five notable players, three of whom are Latin American born:

Giancarlo Stanton - Miami Marlins

Stanton has the numbers. The slugger leads the National League with 35 home runs and his 101 runs batted are the most in all of baseball. Stanton has also drawn a National League-high 90 walks this season from opposing pitchers.

The problem is his team, the Miami Marlins, are 67-70 this season. It doesn't look like the Marlins will be making the playoffs, unless we see a catastrophic collapse by either the San Francisco Giants or the Milwaukee Brewers. Many MLB voters only vote for players who make the postseason.

Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers

A pitcher hasn't won the NL MVP since 1968, when Bob Gibson did so with the St. Louis Cardinals. That year, Gibson had a 22-9 record and posted an incredible 1.12 ERA average.

This year, Kershaw is having a terrific year with a 1.70 ERA and his record is 17-3 for the Dodgers. A lot of people don't believe pitchers should get high consideration for the MVP because they don't play every game, but Kershaw's performance this year puts him in the conversation.

Jhonny Peralta - St. Louis Cardinals

Peralta is having an underrated first season with the Cardinals. Although his batting average is just .269, Peralta's WAR ranks fifth in all of baseball. This is a huge indication of a player's true value because WAR (wins above replacement) takes into account hitting, defense, base running and more.

The 32-year-old Dominican born shortstop leads the Cardinals in triples and home runs hit this season. The Cardinals currently sit atop the National League Central with 75 wins, and are trying to win the NL Pennant for a second consecutive season.

Carlos Gomez - Milwaukee Brewers

Baseball continues to thrive in the Latin American country of the Dominican Republic. The Brewers are in the driver's seat for the second wild card spot, largely in part thanks to Carlos Gomez. Gomez leads the Brewers with 21 home runs and 85 runs scored.

Gomez doesn't have the huge numbers like Stanton, but his value to the team can't be overstated. He has made the last two All-Star games and rarely makes errors. Gomez also leads the Brewers with 29 stolen bases.

Alexi Amarista - San Diego Padres

It's a long shot, but the Padres have been on a tear lately, winning seven of their last 10 games. The Padres' chances at making the postseason may look slim, but if they can pull this off, Amarista may get a few votes.

This season, Amarista has 81 hits and has the second highest batting average on the team. The 25-year-old Venezuelan has had timely hits this season for the Padres, including a recent 10th inning game winning hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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