"The National League Most Valuable Player ballot arrived in the in box last week, and it appears as though Chase Utley is the favorite on this ballot.

But it leads to the question who’s the Astros’ Most Valuable Player?

At the start of June, Lance Berkman appeared like one of the favorites to win this year’s NL MVP trophy.

Since then, Carlos Lee has been the Astros’ top hitter. But Lee, who leads the NL with 100 RBIs, broke his finger after being hit by a pitch during Saturday night’s game against the Reds. The left fielder is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

Before the injury, Lee was on track to be the Astros’ Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year.

“He just has a knack for coming through when you need him, and he’s a big-time run producer,” Berkman said of Lee.

In Lee’s absence, Berkman must pick up the slack at a time when opposing teams will have less of an incentive to pitch to him.

Moreover, Lee’s value to the Astros’ offense will be evident with him out of the lineup."