It really is a shame Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols are both in the National League. For that matter, Gary Sheffield and Jim Thome, too. All four candidates are having seasons worthy of the league MVP award, but three will come away empty-handed at the end of the season. In all actuality the race is between Pujols and Bonds, and with the Cardinals’ recent demise, Bonds can probably make room in his trophy case for his sixth MVP award.

In the American League the race isn’t so close, if you even want to call it a race at all.

As the weather begins to cool as we reach the end of September, the raging MVP debate is nonexistent in the AL. There’s no real frontrunner.

Perennial candidate Alex Rodriguez is having another stellar season, with an average right around .300, 47 homers and 117 RBIs. A-Rod’s problem has always been the playoff non-factor his Rangers have been since he signed with the team in 2000. Besides, Rodriguez’s best chance was last season when he put up career highs in both homers and RBIs, so in my book, at least, it looks as if the best player in the league will have to wait at least another season for his first MVP award, but he’ll get some votes.

Among the American League pennant contenders, the Yankees have no clear-cut candidates, with Jason Giambi and Alfonso Soriano posting solid numbers again but nothing extraordinary in their pursuit.

Division leaders Minnesota and Oakland are without contenders as well. Eric Chavez is having another .280-30-110 type season for the A’s, but those are far from the numbers that won teammate Miggy Tejada the award last season down the team’s key September stretch.

Seattle’s Brett Boone and Ichiro Suzuki were having fine seasons until the team took its fall out of contention. Oakland has pulled ahead in the division race while Boston took the lead in the wildcard, and it looks like Seattle will be on the outside looking in on playoffs for a second-straight season. Specifically, you can target Ichiro’s slump with the team’s failure to stay in the race. Ichiro’s batting average over the last two months has been a worrisome .228, dipping his overall average from .342 to .311.

Wild Card frontrunner Boston appears to be the only team with any players making a real charge at the award. Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra and Bill Mueller are three prime candidates. Many have soured with Ramirez because of his clubhouse problems late in the season, despite the .323 average, 35 homers and 100 RBIs. Mueller may come away with a batting title, and his play at third has been exceptional, but the power numbers are down when looking at the rest of the pack.

That leaves Nomar, whose .306 batting average, 25 homers and 100 RBIs have the shortstop looking like a frontrunner. Nomar should play in more games this season than any other in his career, a testament to his durability this season. He is also approaching career highs in fielding percentage and stolen bases.

But Nomar’s power numbers are down, and like Ichiro, his average has slipped down the stretch. Garciaparra has only hit .178 in September, despite the Red Sox’s playoff push.

Pitchers like Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Chicago’s Esteban Loaiza are having career years, but they aren’t sexy enough choices for the baseball writers to give them any part of the MVP vote.

On the fringe, there are players such as Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Garret Anderson and Carlos Delgado with claims at the award. Delgado seemed like a definite pick midway through the season, but his production has fallen off in the second half and Toronto took a freefall in the division. Despite his woes, Delgado still leads the league with 134 RBIs and is fifth with 36 homers.

Anderson has put together another quiet season of hitting .316 with 29 homers and 116 RBIs. His on-base percentage is the highest of his career, while his batting average is the highest of his career when playing over 110 games. His Angels, however, have been plagued with injuries all season and haven’t gotten a chance to defend their title, falling 10 games under .500 late in the season.

The White Sox’s duo of Thomas and Ordonez MVP chances took a hit when the team’s lead on the Central Division was snatched up by the Minnesota Twins last week. Like most, Thomas’ stats have faded down the stretch as his .229 average and three home runs over September stalled the Sox.

Which leaves one Magglio Ordonez, who has been as steady as any player in baseball over the last five seasons, as the final candidate. Mags’ .321 average is fifth-best in the American League, while his 28 home runs and 98 RBIs have him amongst the best all-around players in the league. Ordonez has been a steady presence all season at the plate for a team that lumbered under poor coaching despite a killer lineup. He also plays a good right field, only committing two errors on the season.

So it’s a four-way race, as I see it, between A-Rod, Nomar, Anderson and Ordonez. The two BoSox candidates should cancel each other out, while the voters will sour on the Angels and Rangers entrenchment at the bottom of the American League West. All four are fine choices, but it’s time for Magglio to get his due as one of the best players in the league.