Over the next several weeks RealGMBaseball will be holding our 2014 Major League Baseball ‘Be The GM’ Contest to determine which player would be the best selection to build a franchise around.

The contest, which is being brought to you by the Original Retro Brand, is described and previewed here: RealGM’s 2014 ‘Be The GM’ Contest. You’ll want to check out the link for rules on how to enter to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card and to see the full contest schedule.

Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins are featured in Friday’s matchup. Voting will extend through June 30.

Kershaw is arguably the best pitcher of his generation, having won a pair of Cy Young awards (with a second-place finish mixed in) over the last three seasons. The 26-year-old has a 2.60 ERA, 1.083 WHIP and 1,292 strikeouts over 1,244.1 career innings with the Dodgers. He has led the National League in ERA three years running.

The left-hander was second among all NL players in WAR (8.4) last season and first among pitchers (7.9). Kershaw is still approaching his prime, but already ranks fourteenth among all active pitchers in career WAR (34.2). The only knock you can find on him are his postseason numbers, but the sample size is small. In nine playoff appearances, six starts and 38.1 innings, he has a 4.23 ERA, 1.278 WHIP and 39 strikeouts.

Stanton, 24, made his Major League debut four years ago this month and quickly became one of the game's best power hitters. Over 2,331 plate appearances, Stanton has posted a slash line of .271/.360/.542 with 137 home runs. He has ranked in the top ten NL players in slugging in two of his three full seasons and sits second in 2014.

While the right fielder hasn't finished a year among the leaders in WAR, overall or offensive, Stanton may just be hitting his prime. Only Troy Tulowitzki sits ahead of him in NL WAR this season. Stanton has become a batting practice legend and hitter of extremely long home runs. Stanton also hits them with tremendous frequency. Since 2011, he has ranked second, first, fourth and second in at-bats per dinger.

Vote In This Matchup: Kershaw or Stanton?

Previous Matchups:

June 25: McCutchen or Tulowitzki?

June 23: Harper or Votto?

June 20: Fernandez or Harvey?

June 18: Hernandez or Darvish?

June 16: Perez or Trout?

June 13: Sale or Cabrera?

June 11: Machado or Tanaka?

Next Matchup: June 30 – Elite Eight Begins!

Don’t forget to Tweet your pick along with #BeTheGM to be entered to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card.