B-Meg Derby Ace guard James Yap boosts his bid to win the MVP award this season after jumping to fourth place in the race for the Phoenix Petroleum-PBA Elims Top Performer Award of the PBA Fiesta Cup. (Photo by BOB DUNGO JR.)

Look who’s breathing down the backs of three Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters going to the homestretch of the race for the Phoenix Petroleum-PBA Elims Top Performer Award.

James Yap of the B-Meg Derby Ace.

Yap dislodged a fourth TNT player, Captain Hook Mac-Mac Cardona, who slid to 5th place just above Coca-Cola’s Gary David at 6th, Alaska‘s LA Tenorio at 7th, San Miguel Beer’s Jay Washington and Arwind Santos at 8th and 9th respectively, and another Texter stalwart Harvey Carey at 10th place.

Still going strong at first place, however, is TNT forward Ranidel de Ocampo followed by point guard Jimmy Alapag and another front-liner Kelly Williams.

In 17 games, after the Texters clinched the first outright Final Four berth, De Ocampo has averaged 31.8 statistical points from a total 540 SPs. At second with a 29.5 average is Alapag from a total of 502 SPs, while at third with 28.7 culled from 488 SPs overall is Williams.

Yap, the heart and soul of the Llamados, gained great strides in the last few games of the PBA Fiesta Cup eliminations to move to 4th with a 28.2 SPs average from a 451 total, giving him a clear shot at the leaders before the classification stage winds down and the wildcard begins.

Except for David, who is averaging 20.7 points per game, Yap’s 17.9 ppg clip is the highest among the top 20 players in the Top Performer derby. He also 2.9 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists.

De Ocampo has remained immovable at the No. 1 spot with 16.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 2.4 assists per game. Alapag, under whose steady direction TNT has thundered through 13 straight games undefeated, is averaging 13.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, and a top 20 high 7.4 apg.