Ranking Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Top 10 MLB MVP Candidates in AL and NL
Aaron Judge has won two of the last three American League MVP Awards, doing so in 2022 and 2024.
Wedged between those two was Shohei Ohtani taking home the 2023 AL MVP during what turned out to be his final season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers last season and was seemingly set to take a break from winning MVP Awards because he wasn't able to pitch as he recovered from a major elbow surgery. Instead, Ohtani became the first full-time DH to win an MVP and joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVPs in both leagues.
Judge and Ohtani have essentially broken the MVP Awards during this era. If you were to place money on who takes home the top honor in both the Junior and Senior Circuits this season, it would be borderline irresponsible to bet on anyone other than Judge and Ohtani.
With that said, that doesn't mean that both will be the leaders for the award from wire-to-wire. Here's a current look at the top 10 MVP candidates this season based on production from the first month and a half of the 2025 campaign.
NL MVP Candidates 10-6
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10. Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants
One of the biggest reasons the Giants have had a tremendous start to 2025 is that Jung Hoo Lee has looked the part of a star in his second MLB season. All while playing a strong center field, Lee has 11 doubles, 23 RBI and an .804 OPS.
9. Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Schwarber is 32 years old, but it feels like he keeps getting better. Though he's almost exclusively a DH, Schwarber has probably been the most valuable Phillie. He's homered 12 times, driven in 29 runs, walked 29 times and has a .955 OPS. Whether it's by the Phillies or someone else, he's going to get paid this offseason.
8. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Last year's NL MVP runner-up, Francisco Lindor is off to another tremendous start offensively, hitting .296 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and an .855 OPS. One thing worth monitoring is that Lindor has minus-six defensive runs saved, a pretty surprising development for the two-time Gold Glove Award winner.
7. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Geraldo Perdomo's 2.3 WAR puts him in a tie with Ohtani, if you need an idea of how good he's been so far. He's always been a great defender, as evidenced by the six outs above average he has at shortstop this season. But after entering the season as a career .235 hitter with a .657 OPS, Perdomo is hitting .293 with an .856 OPS.
6. Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs
Not to be outdone by Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker has given the Cubs the superstar presence they lacked previously. The three-time All-Star has 10 home runs, 29 walks and a .932 OPS so far, a tremendous start to a contract year.
No. 5 NL MVP Candidate: Pete Crow-Armstrong
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Pete Crow-Armstrong has been one of the early breakout stars of 2025, and deserves the acknowledgement on lists like this.
Crow-Armstrong has a chance to run away with the Platinum Glove as the NL's best defensive player considering he already has nine defensive runs saved and nine outs above average in center field.
With a .265 batting average and .305 on-base percentage, Crow-Armstrong might not be able to put up gaudy enough offensive numbers to realistically compete for this award over the course of a full season. With that said, he's homered nine times and driven in 27 runs, with his run producing ability carrying him to an OPS north of .800 so far.
PCA's great defense, basestealing ability and pop have made him one of the most fun players that the sport has to offer, and he's only 23 years old.
No. 4 NL MVP Candidate: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Barry Bonds' seven MVP Awards feels like Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games played streak in terms of being unlikely to ever be matched. But if there's anyone in the rest of baseball history capable of getting close to Bonds, it's Ohtani, who is currently tied with former teammate Mike Trout for the most MVPs among active players at three.
Ohtani's return to the mound doesn't feel imminent, but he already showed last season that he can be dominant enough with just his bat to win MVP. And while it may not feel like he's had any historically-dominant performances yet, he's still hitting .305 with 12 home runs and a 2.3 WAR. History also tells us that some signature games are inevitable.
What will be interesting to monitor with Ohtani is what happens if he struggles when he initially returns to the mound. If Ohtani hits 50 home runs but posts a 4.10 ERA will not pitching at a front-line level work against him? Or is that unfair considering he won't be competing with anyone else playing both ways?
No. 3 NL MVP Candidate: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Corbin Carroll had something of a sophomore slump in the first half of the 2024 season after winning NL Rookie of the Year and finishing fifth in NL MVP voting in 2023. There's been no such slow start in 2025.
Perhaps the most electric player in the sport today, Carroll leads the NL with 98 total bases, and has as many triples (five) as anyone in baseball. For good measure, he's homered 11 times, has a .933 OPS and has posted a 2.4 WAR, which trails only Tatis among those in the senior circuit.
Again, team success probably shouldn't matter as much as it often does in individual awards voting. But the Diamondbacks currently find themselves in fourth place in the crowded NL West, which will likely have to change for Carroll to get enough voters on his side.
No. 2 NL MVP Candidate: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
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Fernando Tatis Jr. appeared destined to be a regular frontrunner in NL MVP voting when he posted consecutive top-four finishes in 2020 and 2021.
But Tatis missed the entirety of the 2022 season with an injury and eventual performance-enhancing drug suspension. Between 2023 and 2024, he was a very productive player, winning the Platinum Glove for the NL in the first of those two campaigns and posting a combined .796 OPS. He wasn't, though, the same superstar he had been at the outset of his career.
Still only 26, the MVP-caliber version of Tatis has returned in 2025. FanGraphs says he currently leads the NL with a 2.5 WAR. He's also hitting .322 with nine home runs and a .951 OPS. What's more, he already has seven defensive runs saved and five outs above average in right field.
Team success probably shouldn't have such a large factor in MVP voting, but there is a reality that if the Padres are able to realistically push the Dodgers in the NL West race all year, it will only strengthen Tatis' case in the minds of many.
No. 1 NL MVP Candidate: Pete Alonso, New York Mets
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There is a narrative element to winning an MVP, and Pete Alonso taking home this award after having to settle for a two-year, $54 million deal in an unsuccessful trip into free agency would be quite the story.
Indeed, Alonso is off to an incredible start with a .322 batting average and nine home runs. At the time of publication, he leads the NL in on-base percentage (.438), doubles (14) and RBI (34). He's also got a 2.2 WAR, which FanGraphs says is already above the 2.1 mark he finished the 2024 season at.
A few things will likely work against Alonso and keep him from ultimately maintaining this top spot. First, he's got two other players likely to finish high in NL MVP voting in his own lineup with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Secondly, first base isn't seen as a sexy defensive position, and Alonso has typically graded out as an average or below-average defender.
Still, the 30-year-old has already proven teams made a mistake not investing in him to hit in the middle of their order last offseason. He's almost certainly going to opt out of his deal this upcoming winter and return to free agency, this time without a qualifying offer attached to him. Expect that Alonso will get long-term security the second go-round in free agency.
AL MVP Candidates 10-6
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10. Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
Wilyer Abreu has built on a strong rookie season with an excellent start in 2025, as he's homered nine times, driven in 25 runs and posted an .893 OPS. He also continues to grade out as one of baseball's best right fielders, having already posted five defensive runs saved and two outs above average this season.
9. Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
Kevin Cash's club has a pretty underwhelming offense, especially considering Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero have had uninspiring starts. The one saving grace in Tampa has been Aranda, who is hitting .327 with a .964 OPS and a 1.3 WAR.
8. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
One of baseball's most underrated stars, Steven Kwan is hitting .327 with a .391 on-base percentage. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner continues to shine in left field, as he's already racked up eight defensive runs saved.
7. Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
If Max Fried isn't the early favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, Hunter Brown is. Following a breakout 2024 season, Brown has taken another major step forward in 2025. His 1.86 FIP and 0.2 HR/9 are the best marks of any pitcher in baseball to this point.
6. Max Fried, New York Yankees
Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million deal to come over from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason and immediately became the ace of the Yankees when Gerrit Cole was lost for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Fried has more than stepped up to the plate, as he leads all MLB starters in ERA (1.05) and ERA (381) after going 6-0 over his first eight starts in pinstripes.
No. 5 AL MVP Candidate: Jacob Wilson, Athletics
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The Athletics are above .500, and that's without Lawrence Butler or JJ Bleday performing close to how they did last season. Instead, on a team that also includes Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson has been the best player for Mark Kotsay's squad so far.
Wilson—the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft—is off to a tremendous start in 2025 after getting a cup of coffee last season. Wilson is hitting .358 with nine doubles and a 1.7 WAR that's tied for fifth among all position players in the AL.
Whether the A's have enough pitching to be a playoff team in 2025 is a fair question to ask. But even without their long-term home being sorted out, it's hard not to be bullish on the core of position players that the A's are developing, with Wilson at the forefront.
No. 4 AL MVP Candidate: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
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Cal Raleigh is never going to compete for a batting title, but for him to have a .915 OPS with 12 home runs when he plays his home games at the notoriously hitter-unfriendly T-Mobile Park is pretty impressive.
What Raleigh has done really well so far this season is get on base. He entered the season with a .296 career on-base percentage, but is currently sitting at .365 in that category, due in large part to the 25 walks he's already worked this season.
Raleigh hasn't graded out as well defensively so far this year as he did last season, when he won the AL's Platinum Glove. But if he gets back to that level as the campaign goes along, it will be hard to deny him the title as the best catcher in baseball currently.
No. 3 AL MVP Candidate: Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox
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While displacing Rafael Devers has certainly created some problems, Alex Bregman has been a tremendous addition at third base for the Red Sox this year.
Where Bregman settled into just being a very good player during his final seasons with the Houston Astros, he's played like the player who finished in the top five in AL MVP voting in 2018 and 2019 during the early part of his first campaign with the Red Sox.
Bregman is hitting .319, a drastic increase from the .260 he hit between 2022 and 2024. He's got 15 doubles this season, which is already half of what he finished with in 2024. Bregman is also among the league leaders in OPS (.974) and WAR (2.0).
Like we said with Alonso, Bregman is definitely going to opt out of his contract after the 2025 season and do much better in free agency the second time around.
No. 2 AL MVP Candidate: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
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Bobby Witt Jr. had the unfortunate distinction of posting a staggering 10.4 WAR last season and having to settle for runner-up in AL MVP voting because he did it in the same year as Judge's peak.
The bad news for Witt is he may be headed for a similar fate in 2025. The good news for him and the Royals is that Witt is hitting .323 with an MLB-best 17 doubles. He's also stolen 14 bases, has a .920 OPS and a 2.6 WAR, which is higher than any position player in the NL.
If Judge gets hurt or slips up in any way, Witt will become the immediate favorite to win AL MVP. If not, he's still producing at a Hall of Fame caliber, and that may very well lead the Royals to their second straight playoff appearance.
No. 1 AL MVP Candidate: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
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There was some consideration given to who should have the top spot in the NL MVP rankings. No such debate took place in the AL, as Judge has continued one of the greatest peaks a right-handed hitter has ever had.
Judge is currently leading baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, hits, home runs, RBI, total bases and WAR. To do all of this even with the loss of Soto is even more remarkable.
If you ever get the feeling that people are being too prisoner of the moment with their analysis of Judge, catch yourself, because they aren't. The only thing that can stop him from winning his third AL MVP is probably an injury.
