PHOENIX -- There is little doubt in the D-backs' clubhouse as to who should win the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
It's first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and for his manager and teammates, it's not even close.
The NL MVP Award, which is voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, will be announced Thursday at 4 p.m. MST on MLB Network. Goldschmidt is joined as a finalist by Reds first baseman Joey Votto and Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton.
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In recent years, BBWAA voters have put less of an emphasis on a player's team performance, but to those who make a case for Goldschmidt, they believe it's important.
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"I've said all year long that for me, he's the MVP of the National League," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "He did it in every way, shape and form -- defensively, offensively with runs scored, the OPS. There wasn't one area of his game that wasn't complete, and we made the playoffs and I think that should be a separator for him."

Neither Votto nor Stanton's teams made the postseason.
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"Goldy's unbelievable," D-backs team president/CEO Derrick Hall said. "When you talk about awards, here's a guy who once again gets Silver Slugger and Gold Glove and is up for MVP yet another time. You look who he's up against, and his team did make it to the postseason. Again, am I biased? Absolutely. Do I think Paul Goldschmidt is Most Valuable Player? Yes."
Goldschmidt has twice finished second in the MVP voting. He lost out to Andrew McCutchen in 2013 and then to Bryce Harper in 2015.

D-backs pitcher Robbie Ray thinks that the attention that the D-backs received this past season for making the postseason will benefit Goldschmidt simply from an attention standpoint.
"I feel like he's done this year in and year out," Ray said. "I think what we did as a team this year should definitely help his case. We turned our season around completely from 69-93 to 93-69, so we got a little more recognition, so maybe he'll get a little more recognition. I feel like he should be in the conversation every year, but maybe more people noticed him this year because of what we were doing as a team."

Goldschmidt is an all-around contributor, as his mantle will attest. He won his third Gold Glove Award this season as well as his third Silver Slugger Award.
At the plate, Goldschmidt was third in the NL in runs (117) and fourth in RBIs (120), walks (94) and extra-base hits (73). His on-base percentage (.404) and OPS (.966) ranked fifth.
Defensively, he ranked second among NL first basemen in defensive runs saved (10) and first in total zone runs -- the number of runs above or below average a player was worth based on the number of plays made -- with 15.

"I'm actually getting tired of talking to him and congratulating him with all these awards," Lovullo joked about the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. "But what it means is you have one of the best players in the game on your team, and it's all so well deserved for him. We're proud of him for that. He's so unassuming that he's winning the Silver Slugger and the Gold Glove that you just take those things for granted because he is so special and is so consistent every day."
And he deserves to be the NL MVP.