Manny Machado's remarkable 2022 season might just end with some hardware.

For the second time in three years, Machado is one of three finalists for the National League Most Valuable Player Award. This time, he has built quite a case.

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Machado's 7.4 wins above replacement were the most in the National League, according to FanGraphs. That's the highest total for a Padres position player since Ken Caminiti in 1996 -- the franchise’s lone MVP Award winner.

If Machado is going to join Caminiti with that distinction, he'll have to beat out St. Louis' Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, who also were announced as finalists on Monday. Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots were submitted after the end of the regular season, and results will be announced Thursday, Nov. 17, on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT.

Machado posted a slash line of .298/.366/.531 with 32 homers, 100 runs scored and 102 RBIs -- and he did so while putting forth his usual outstanding defense at third base. But according to his teammates and coaches, Machado's case is based on much more than that.

"It’s not only numbers-wise,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said at the end of the regular season. “Just kind of who he is -- posting up and playing every day, playing hurt, getting big hits. … He’s probably as valuable as any player on any team."

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Indeed, Machado's only blip this year came in late June when he sustained a gruesome ankle injury in Colorado. The team feared Machado might be out for months. Instead, he returned 10 days later and didn’t require a stint on the IL.

Following his injury, Machado's numbers dipped. His July splits were easily his worst of any month. But the Padres -- without Fernando Tatis Jr. and with Trade Deadline reinforcements still a month away -- needed Machado in the lineup. And there he was.

"What Manny’s done on both sides of the ball, the offense, the defense and getting through the injuries and stuff that he had this year -- it’s hard to make the people who make the decisions on who wins awards understand all of that," right-hander Joe Musgrove said last month. "But all of us know and saw what he went through."

Machado finished third in NL MVP Award voting in 2020. Tatis finished third in ‘21, but no Padre has gotten as high as second since Caminiti won the award 26 years ago.

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Regardless of where Machado finishes, it has been quite a year. He notched his 1,500th career hit in June, making him part of a select group of players with 1,500 hits and 250 homers before age 30. He became just the fifth Padre to author a season with 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 100 runs, joining Caminti, Adrián González, Ryan Klesko and Greg Vaughn.

It’s perhaps also noteworthy how heavy a burden Machado was asked to shoulder in San Diego -- especially considering his two rival finalists play for the same team. On an offense that struggled for much of the early part of the season, Machado was asked to carry the load.

He did precisely that and was the driving force behind the Padres’ first trip to the playoffs in a full season in 16 years. Once in the postseason, Machado homered four times and was integral in upsets of the Mets and Dodgers.

“I’m biased,” Melvin said. “But it depends on what your definition really is for MVP. Is it MVP of the league, or is it MVP of a particular team? I don’t know that there’s anybody more worthy of the MVP Award, if you’re saying what he does for our team.

“Goldschmidt, those numbers are fantastic, but he’s also got Arenado behind him. So, look, it’s going to play out however it plays out. But I don’t see a guy that’s more valuable to his particular team in this league than Manny Machado is for us.”