WASHINGTON -- Add National League Most Valuable Player Award finalist to Juan Soto’s already lengthy Major League resume.

Soto was revealed to be one of three candidates for the 2021 honor -- along with Bryce Harper of the Phillies and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres -- on Monday, two weeks after turning 23 years old. The winner will be announced at 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 18, exclusively on MLB Network.

• All-time MVP winners

“He’s a player that’s having an unbelievable year,” manager Dave Martinez said in September. “It’s the Most Valuable Player; it’s one player. For me, Juan should have consideration to be in that MVP [contention]. He’s had a phenomenal year.”

Soto’s fourth season in the bigs was highlighted by another campaign of head-turning offensive accomplishments. He was in the running to capture his second consecutive batting title up until the final week of the regular season. Soto finished the year with a .313 average that was second in the NL behind the Dodgers’ Trea Turner (.328), the highest on-base percentage in baseball (.465) and a .534 slugging percentage that ranked seventh in the NL. Soto also had 111 runs scored (second in the NL), 157 hits (10th, NL), 20 doubles, two triples, 29 home runs, 95 RBIs (10th, NL), nine stolen bases and a .999 OPS (second, NL). He and Ted Williams are the only players to lead the Majors in on-base percentage twice before their age-23 seasons.

• 2021 Awards coverage

Even more noteworthy is that Soto put up those numbers while drawing a league-high 145 walks, the most in a full season since Barry Bonds set the mark in 2004 with 232. He paced all of baseball with a 1.56 walk-to-strikeout ratio, and he was the only qualified player this season to record more walks than strikeouts. Soto also led all players with a 15.1 percent chase rate. Between his plate discipline and power, Soto reached base safely at least four times in 26 contests this year, a feat that had been accomplished by only Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Bonds.

“Whenever they want to play, I play,” Soto said in August. “When they don’t want to play, I just take my walk.”

The expectations were high for the right fielder after he became the youngest player to win the NL batting title and placed fifth in MVP voting in 2020. Soto transformed a slow first half -- during which he slashed .283/.407/.445 with a .852 OPS and 11 home runs -- into a post-break surge. After crushing 46 dingers in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, Soto slashed .348/.525/.639 with a 1.164 OPS and 18 homers in the second half of the season.

“After that slow start and then just coming from the bottom and coming all the way up, it feels great,” Soto said in September. “We're going to see at the end of the day how it goes."

Scherzer named NL Cy Young Award finalist
Former Nationals ace Max Scherzer, who was traded to the Dodgers at the Deadline this year, is vying for the NL Cy Young Award against fellow right-handers Corbin Burnes of the Brewers and Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. The winner will be revealed on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 17.

Scherzer, 37, went 15-4 with a career-best 2.46 ERA over 30 starts in his 14th Major League season. He led all pitchers with a career-low 0.86 WHIP and 6.0 hits per nine innings. Among NL arms, Scherzer ranked first in walks per nine innings (1.8) and second in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings (11.8), total strikeouts (236) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.56).

After throwing a complete game before dashing to the hospital for the birth of his son in May, Scherzer’s season was headlined in September when he became the 19th pitcher to record 3,000 career strikeouts.

Scherzer already is a three-time Cy Young Award winner. He captured the honors in 2013 with the Tigers, and consecutively in ‘16-17 with the Nationals.