Power hitters aplenty in this year's MVP race

The 2017 Most Valuable Player Award winners for both the American and National League will be announced at 6 pm ET on Thursday based on voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. TSN.ca takes a look at the six nominees.

2017 was the year of the long ball with 6,105 home runs combined throughout the season, breaking the all-time single-season record. All six MVP finalists were heavily involved in crushing the baseball all year long. Jose Altuve, Aaron Judge, Jose Ramirez, Joey Votto, Giancarlo Stanton and Paul Goldschmidt gave pitchers nightmares every time they came up to the plate. 

American League 

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros

2017 stats: 662 PA, 204 H, 112 R, 24 HR, 81 RBI, 32 SB .346/.410/.547, 8.3 WAR

The epitome of a five-tool player, Altuve did it all in 2017. The 5-foot-6 second baseman led Major League Baseball in WAR (8.3) and batting average (.346), while also leading the American League in hits, his fourth straight 200-hit season. Altuve was consistent all year for the Astros and held things together when Houston's other stud middle infielder, Carlos Correa, was out for six weeks with an injury. Thought voting does take into account the post-season, Altuve had a stellar playoff run, and was a key factor in the Astros winning their first World Series title. 

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees 

2017 stats: 678 PA, 154 H, 128 R, 52 HR, 114 RBI, 127 BB, .284/.422/.627, 8.1 WAR

It's rare when a rookie also gets nominated for the MVP award, but Aaron Judge has the chance to be the first player since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. Judge had a monster rookie season. He broke the single-season rookie home run record with 52, but also led the AL in runs (128) and walks (127). Judge's one major flaw was an MLB-leading 208 strikeouts, but at just 25 years old, he's an exciting talent that will most likely be on more MVP ballots to come. 

Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians 

2017 stats: 645 PA, 186 H, 107 R, 29 HR, 83 RBI, 56 2B, .318/.374/.583, 6.9 WAR

Jose Ramirez was a spark plug for the Indians in 2017, and a main contributor to their impressive 22-game winning streak. Ramirez led the majors in doubles (56) and had nine multi-hit games. The switch-hitting third baseman had a whopping 91 extra-base hits, the second most by a switch hitter in history, only behind Lance Berkman.

National League 

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds 

2017 stats: 707 PA, 179 H, 106 R, 36 HR, 100 RBI, 134 BB, .320/.454/.578, 7.5 WAR

Joey Votto was named a National League MVP finalist for the third time in his career, and won the award once in 2010. No stranger to elite seasons, Votto had another one in 2017 despite his Reds finishing last in the NL Central division. The Toronto native led the majors in walks, on-base percentage and the NL in OPS. Despite being 34, Votto continues to pad his hall-of-fame statistics and seems to be a perennial candidate for the award. He could also become the first player since Alex Rodriguez to win the award as a player from a last-place team. 

Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins 

2017 stats: 692 PA, 169 H, 123 R, 59 HR, 132 RBI, 1.007 OPS, .281/.376/.631, 7.6 WAR

Another MVP finalist to play on a team that didn't make the postseason, Giancarlo Stanton had one of his most consistent seasons to date. The 28-year-old had a fairly healthy year for the first time since 2014 and made the most of it. Stanton hit an MLB-best 59 home runs, the most since 2001 when Barry Bonds hit 73, and also led the league in RBI with 132. What was more impressive was Stanton's sizzling August numbers, in which he hit 11 home runs in the first 15 days of the month. The exit velocity in which he hits the ball is staggering and his 122.2-mph single was the hardest hit ball since 2015. 

Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

2017 stats: 665 PA, 166 H, 117 R, 36 HR, 120 RBI, 94 BB, .297/.404/.563, 5.8 WAR

Goldschmidt had another MVP-calibre season with the Diamondbacks this season, but finally led them to the postseason for the first time since his first season with the club. The first baseman tied his career high in home runs with 36 and added an impressive 120 RBI. Goldschmidt has become both a perennial MVP candidate in the National League and one of the most consistent players in the majors. He has hit for 30 home runs and 100 RBI in three of his six full MLB seasons and shows no signs of slowing down.