Phillies insider shines spotlight on 32-year-old All-Star quietly entering NL MVP conversation with Shohei Ohtani leading the race

A major reason for the Philadelphia Phillies' success this season has been the fantastic performances of shortstop Trea Turner. At the moment, the 32-year-old is batting .300, with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs.

Though LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani remains the overwhelming favorite to win the NL MVP award come November, Turner continues to quietly strengthen his case with every solid performance he puts in.

Speaking about the matter on Monday's episode of "The Phillies Show", insider Todd Zolecki explained how Trea Turner is much more of a contender for the prestigious prize than most people realize.

"Something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks, through the end of the season, Trea Turner quietly moving up the charts in terms of NL MVP consideration. If you look at Fangraphs' WAR, and I mention this because a lot of voters nowadays they kind of start with WAR. Right now, he (Turner) is second in the NL in WAR behind Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani's got 6.0, Turner's got 5.8."

"You put those guys together, and maybe Trea Turner can be a top three finish. Maybe the Phillies can have two top three finishers, or two top five finishers. Trea Turner, from where he was at the beginning of the season, really kind of coming on. Offensively, defensively, stealing a ton of bases, having a heck of a second half, and powering this offense down the stretch," Zolecki said [19:06]

While some sportsbooks have Ohtani with odds as low as -10,000 to repeat as NL MVP, Trea Turner is priced at +20,000.

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Trea Turner could be the first Phillies player to win a batting title since the legendary Richard Ashburn in 1958

At the moment, Trea Turner is one of the few players in the majors who boast a batting average over .300. As a result, the 32-year-old infielder is one of the frontrunners for the NL batting title award.

At the moment, Turner is second in the standings, with a .301 average, while LA Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman is first with .302. If Turner does wind up winning, he would become the first Phillies player to win a batting title since Hall of Famer Richard Ashburn in 1958.

Trea Turner in action against the Seattle Mariners - Source: Getty

After taking two of three against the struggling Washington Nationals, Turner and the Phillies now head to Citi Field to take on NL East contenders, the New York Mets.