Ryan Zimmerman just keeps on hitting. In baseball’s marathon of a season, the Nationals third baseman has saved his best for last, raking the ball all over the field and providing highlight reel defense. Though Zimmerman has had a strong year overall, he has really come into his own in the last month, hitting doubles at an incredible rate and driving in droves of baserunners.

It should come as no suprise that his outstanding season has him in contention for NL Rookie of the Year. Ordinarily, we could already pencil him in for the honor (his numbers stack up nicely to previous ROYs). However, this year’s rookie class is particularly deep. Zimmerman faces serious competition from several notable rookies. In fact, this year’s race is so tight, Zim’s performance in the Nats’ final 4 games may well decide his chances in taking home the award.

Let’s take a look at the other leading contenders and try to handicap this race.

Photo by Flickr user Scott Ableman