Fajardo on course to winning record 5th MVP plum

MANILA, Philippines – After a pair of double-double games in their quarterfinals conquest of TNT KaTropa, June Mar Fajardo has moved ahead of Vic Manuel in their neck-and-neck fight for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference award.

And Fajardo should have gained more against Manuel after San Miguel Beer won the first two games of its best-of-five semifinal showdown with Alaska.

Another BPC plum to go with his BPC trophy in the all-Filipino tourney would make Fajardo cinch to win a record fifth season MVP award.

Big games over TNT KaTropa in their best-of-three quarters jacked up Fajardo’s statistical points average of 36.8 to 38.7 as against Manuel’s 37.58 from 37.2 after the eliminations.

In the stats race for the season MVP award, the SMB behemoth sports a runaway average of 29.6 as against the 25.3 of the second-running Stanley Pringle of GlobalPort.

Barangay Ginebra center/forward Japeth Aguilar is at third with 23.6, followed by San Miguel’s Arwind Santos (23.4), another Beerman Alex Cabagnot (22.0), GlobalPort’s Sean Anthony (21.9), Phoenix’s Matthew Wright (21.8), SMB’s Marcio Lassiter (21.2), Manuel (20.8) and TNT’s Jayson Castro (20.5) to round out the Top 10.

Barely out of the Magic 10 are Scottie Thompson (20.4), JP Erram (19.9), Troy Rosario (19.7) and Chris Newsome (19.4).

Jason Perkins of Phoenix is the Rookie of the Year race leader with 15.10, followed by Raymar Jose of Blackwater (9.94) and Robert Herndon of Magnolia (9.09).

No rookie player is in the Top 25 or those to be considered for the Mythical First and Second Selections.

Top pick Christian Standhardinger is out for missing the Philippine Cup while No. 2 selection Kiefer Ravena is also out due to his FIBA suspension.

Fajardo is on course to breaking out of a tie with Mon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio as the players with the most MVP crowns won with four apiece.

He’s already an official candidate for a fifth MVP award for winning the all-Filipino BPC.