Ranking MLB's Top 10 AL and NL MVP Candidates For 2025
We're just days away from the final month of the 2025 regular season beginning.
While the last four weeks of the season can certainly change things, the overwhelming majority of evidence is in as we start to decide who will win MVP in each league. Will Shohei Ohtani take home his fourth MVP? Will Aaron Judge hold on to win his third AL MVP in the last four seasons? Could some of the best pitchers in the sport push for top-five finishes?
Here's a look at the top 10 AL and NL MVP candidates right now.
No. 10: Maikel Garcia
1 of 20
This name might surprise some, but Maikel Garcia has been one of the more impressive all-around players in the AL this season.
Garcia has a .298 batting average, 32 doubles, and an .827 OPS. He's played at second base, shortstop, center field and right field, but it's been third base that has been the primary position for Garcia. He's graded out tremendously at the hot corner, with seven defensive runs saved and 10 outs above average.
If you need a closing argument in favor of Garcia's inclusion, FanGraphs says that his 4.5 WAR is fifth among AL position players.
No. 9: Jeremy Peña
2 of 20
Jeremy Peña missed the entire month of July with a left rib fracture, but the former World Series MVP has had his best MLB season to date for the Astros when he's on the field.
Across 102 games this season, Peña is hitting .306 with 50 RBI and an .842 OPS. With three defensive runs saved and five outs above average, Peña has also been tremendous in the field.
The aforementioned injury cost Peña a chance to check in higher on this list, but considering he posted just a .703 OPS between 2023 and 2024, it's been a very successful season for the 27-year-old.
No. 8: Julio Rodríguez
3 of 20
Julio Rodríguez is a difficult player to evaluate.
A .259 batting average, 33 walks and .770 OPS all feel underwhelming for the former AL Rookie of the Year.
At the same time, Rodríguez has 25 home runs. He's also going to be a Gold Glove candidate with seven defensive runs saved and eight outs above average. Rodríguez is also having a much better second half offensively, as he's posted a .876 OPS after the All-Star Break. Before the Midsummer Classic, Rodríguez had just a .731 OPS.
This is the second year in a row that J-Rod has had to dig himself out of an early hole. If he ever gets off to a quicker start at the plate, he'll win an MVP.
No. 7: Junior Caminero
4 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +20000
There was a time when the power production that Junior Caminero is putting up this season would have had him at the forefront of the AL MVP race.
But while Caminero has 39 home runs, 94 RBI and an .847 OPS, he also leads baseball with 27 double plays grounded into. His 3.7 WAR is tied for 12th among AL position players, per FanGraphs. There's a chance he's in the top five for some voters, and not in the top 10 for others.
Considering he's likely to hit 45+ home runs, Caminero is trending towards a top-10 finish in the AL MVP race. He might have enough other things working against him to keep him out of the top five, though.
No. 6: Bobby Witt Jr.
5 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +20000
Bobby Witt Jr. is a victim of his own success in the sense that this year feels a little underwhelming after he posted a staggering 10.5 WAR and finished runner-up in AL MVP voting last season.
But if you set aside last year, Witt is still having an incredible campaign. He leads baseball with 41 doubles, has 34 stolen bases, and an .858 OPS. Even if he's not tracking as high as last year in the WAR category, FanGraphs currently has his 6.5 mark as third among all AL position players.
Kansas City isn't entirely out of the wild-card race, so a big final month from Witt and the Royals could push him into the top five.
No. 5: José Ramírez
6 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +17000
José Ramírez may never win an AL MVP, but he's as good a bet as any to be a top-five finisher in any given season.
Ramírez has five top-five finishes in AL MVP voting in his career, including being the runner-up in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He's finished in the top 10 seven times. The latter category will certainly add another this year, and we're projecting the former will as well.
With 26 home runs, 68 RBI, an .867 OPS, 36 stolen bases, and the fourth-best WAR among AL position players, Ramírez could further his Cooperstown case with another top-five finish.
No. 4: Garrett Crochet
7 of 20
In his first year in Boston, Garrett Crochet has been everything the Red Sox could have hoped for when they completed a megadeal to acquire the lefty from the White Sox last winter.
Crochet leads the AL in wins, innings pitched and batters faced. He's third or better in K/9, ERA, FIP and WAR, per FanGraphs. He's pushing Tarik Skubal—more on him in a minute—in the AL Cy Young Award race, and whether he wins it or is runner-up, he has been one of the best players in the sport this year.
Mookie Betts (2018) was the last Red Sox to win AL MVP. The last Red Sox pitcher to win AL MVP was Roger Clemens, who did it in 1986.
No. 3: Tarik Skubal
8 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +15000
With all due respect to Paul Skenes, Crochet and anyone else, Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball.
Barring a complete collapse in September, Skubal is going to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award, becoming the first junior-circuit pitcher to do that since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez did so in 1999 and 2000.
But why stop there? Skubal leads all starters in FIP, WHIP BB/9, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio and WAR, according to FanGraphs. He leads the AL in ERA, ERA+ and K/9.
He's not going to catch the top two, but is there any doubt Skubal has been one of the most valuable players in the AL? He finished seventh a year ago and deserves an even higher spot in 2025.
No. 2: Cal Raleigh
9 of 20
DraftKings Odds: -110
Cal Raleigh has already become the first primary catcher in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in a season, and leads the American League in RBI. If he were in the NL, he would probably be the favorite to win the MVP.
Unfortunately for Raleigh, he's having an all-time season at the same time that Aaron Judge is, putting him in a close second in our current AL MVP rankings.
With that said, if Raleigh gets close to 60 home runs and the Mariners win the American League West, there will definitely be a push from some voters to make him the AL MVP. So as we approach the final month of the season, Raleigh is very much alive in the race.
No. 1: Aaron Judge
10 of 20
DraftKings Odds: -120
Given that Raleigh is having one of the greatest offensive seasons a catcher has ever put together, it's certainly not a lock that Judge wins the award. But as things stand now, he's still the clear favorite to win the AL MVP for the third time in four years.
Judge leads baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+. According to FanGraphs, he's tied with Raleigh for the top WAR. He's the AL leader in walks and runs scored.
Judge's flexor strain in his right elbow has limited him to DH recently, and the Yankees have underwhelmed since the All-Star Break, so this isn't set in stone. But with the amount of black ink on Judge's Baseball Reference page, he's certainly in pole position.
No. 10: Kyle Tucker
11 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +15000
We recently learned that Kyle Tucker has been playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand since early June, which explains why he hasn't necessarily put up the all-time contract year it appeared like he would early on in the season.
Even still, Tucker was an All-Star for the fourth year in a row, has 25 stolen bases, has drawn 82 walks and has an .837 OPS. Putting those numbers up when you haven't been right for much of the season is pretty remarkable.
For as long as it feels like Tucker has been around, he'll still only be entering his age-29 season when he becomes a free agent after this season. He'll be well within his rights to target $500+ million, considering he's still had a strong season despite playing at less than 100 percent for most of the year.
No. 9: Juan Soto
12 of 20
Soto hasn't matched the career-year he put up as a member of the New York Yankees a season ago, but the numbers he's put up in the first season of a 15-year, $765 million deal still look really good.
In addition to leading baseball in walks, Soto has cleared the 30-home run threshold for the fourth time in his career. He also has an .882 OPS, over 75 RBI and a career-high 21 stolen bases.
Will this be Soto's best season as a Met? Almost certainly not. But the fact that 2025—which would be a career-year for most—has felt underwhelming at times is a reminder of why Soto was one of the most coveted free agents in MLB history.
No. 8: Geraldo Perdomo
13 of 20
The most under-the-radar excellent season in 2025 probably belongs to Geraldo Perdomo.
Perdomo entered the season as a career .235 hitter with a .657 OPS. In 2025, he's hitting .291 with an .844 OPS. Not only has the increase in batting average helped to boost his offensive value, but after drawing a modest 36 walks a year ago, Perdomo has walked 81 times this season. He also leads all of baseball with 10 sacrifice flies, so he's been a good situational hitter.
At the time of publication, the only NL players FanGraphs says have produced higher WAR totals in 2025 are Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner. It's been a breakout season for the 25-year-old, who has looked the part of a star for the Snakes.
No. 7: Corbin Carroll
14 of 20
After winning NL Rookie of the Year and finishing fifth in MVP voting in 2023, Corbin Carroll had something of a sophomore slump during the first half of the 2024 season. No such slump has taken place in Carroll's third season.
The lightning-fast outfielder leads baseball with 16 triples, has an .886 OPS and has a 5.2 WAR that FanGraphs says is the fifth-best mark among non-pitchers in the NL.
It's been a very disappointing season for the Diamondbacks as a team, but the face of their franchise has re-emerged as a superstar.
No. 6: Fernando Tatis Jr.
15 of 20
Fernando Tatis Jr. perhaps isn't the offensive superstar he was at the beginning of his career, but he's having a strong season at the plate nonetheless, as evidenced by his .804 OPS.
Tatis' best value has been his his defense. Two years after winning the Platinum Glove Award, Tatis has again been great in right field. He has 19 defensive runs saved and nine outs above average.
If Tatis leads the Padres to the NL West title with a big month at the plate in September, he could finish even higher than this.
No. 5: Trea Turner
16 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +20000
Trea Turner's third season with the Phillies has been by far his best.
Offensively, the Phillies asked Turner to focus on hitting for contact before the season, and he's done that. At the time of publication, he leads the NL in hits. He's also stolen 30+ bases for the seventh time in his career.
Where Turner has really turned things around is in the field. A year ago, Turner didn't look long for shortstop, as he posted 17 errors, minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-three outs above average. In 2025, he has eight errors, zero defensive runs saved and 15 outs above average. It's been a significant improvement in the field for Turner.
Among non-pitchers in the NL, only Shohei Ohtani has a higher WAR than Turner. That will surely play a major factor in his MVP case.
No. 4: Pete Crow-Armstrong
17 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +20000
Pete Crow-Armstrong has seen his on-base percentage drop to .294, which would be shockingly low for a top-five MVP finisher.
With that said, Crow-Armstrong has 28 home runs, 82 RBI, 30 stolen bases and an .802 OPS. That's all really good.
Where PCA stands above all is with his center field defense. With 20 defensive runs saved and 19 outs above average, not only is Crow-Armstrong a shoo-in to win the Gold Glove, but he's probably going to take home the Platinum Glove as the top overall defender in the NL.
It would help him to have a strong finish at the plate, but Crow-Armstrong is going to finish high in NL MVP voting.
No. 3: Paul Skenes
18 of 20
Considering that some may hold it against Paul Skenes that he doesn't have a winning record when it comes time to vote for the NL Cy Young Award, this is likely higher than the righty will ultimately finish.
That doesn't mean, though, that the reigning NL Rookie of the Year doesn't deserve to finish this high. Yes, the Pirates are a disaster. No, that shouldn't be held against him when discussing an individual award.
According to FanGraphs, Skenes leads NL starters in ERA, FIP and WAR. Baseball Reference says Skenes also leads the sport in ERA+ and HR/9. In a year without a ton of great NL MVP candidates, what he's done is deserving of this type of recognition.
No. 2: Kyle Schwarber
19 of 20
DraftKings Odds: +1300
In 2024, Shohei Ohtani broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first full-time DH to win an MVP. A year later, the only thing preventing Kyle Schwarber from becoming the second might be Ohtani.
At age 32, Schwarber is putting together by far the best season of his career. He's tied with Ohtani for the NL lead in home runs. He leads all of baseball with 110 RBIs. His 87 walks are third in the NL. His .940 OPS is second.
Whether it's from the Phillies or someone else, Schwarber is going to collect a major payday in free agency this offseason. Even as someone who rarely plays in the field, he's such a valuable piece because of his offensive prowess.
No. 1: Shohei Ohtani
20 of 20
DraftKings Odds: -8000
Barry Bonds is the only player in MLB history to have won four MVP Awards. Granted, he won seven, so he'll probably stand alone forever. But he could soon have company in the four-MVP club.
Even if he hasn't been quite as dominant at the plate as he was a year ago, Ohtani still leads baseball in both runs scored and total bases. He's tied with Schwarber atop the NL home run leaderboard, and has the top marks in terms of slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+ and intentional walks in the senior circuit.
On the mound, Ohtani's ERA has spiked to 4.61 after consecutive bad starts. It will be interesting to see whether Ohtani's role as a pitcher works against him if his numbers as a pitcher don't look great when the season concludes.
The thinking here is that Ohtani's ERA will be low enough that his incredible offensive production will carry him to a second straight NL MVP.
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