Ranking MLB's Top 10 AL and NL MVP Candidates For 2026
For the past couple seasons, it's seemed like a competition to see who would be runner-up in both AL and MVP voting.
In the AL, Aaron Judge won AL MVP in 2024 and 2025, his second and third AL MVP Awards, respectively.
After Shohei Ohtani won AL MVP as a member of the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023, the two-way superstar joined the Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million deal. All he did was win NL MVP in each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers, becoming just the second player in MLB history to win four MVPs (Barry Bonds won a staggering seven).
This year is shaping up to be different, though.
Judge is not going to win another AL MVP this season, as a stress fracture in his right ribcage has prevented him from playing since late-May.
Ohtani is still very much in the NL MVP race, but for many years it's felt like he's broken the award in the sense that if he plays, he's going to win it. But left knee inflammation has kept Ohtani from pitching since July 3. His offensive numbers remain elite, but not quite as staggering as his first two seasons with the Dodgers. So, there's at least a race in the NL in 2026.
With all that acknowledged, here are the top 10 AL and NL MVP candidates currently.
10. Pete Alonso: 1B, Baltimore Orioles
1 of 20
2026 Stats: .270 BA, 30 HR, 85 RBI, .860 OPS, 3.7 WAR
Since the All-Star Game, Pete Alonso is second among all American League hitters in OPS and third in WAR, according to FanGraphs. Alonso is one of the main reasons that the Orioles are still alive in a very weak AL wild-card race.
Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out for the O's, they have to be thrilled with the early returns on the five-year, $155 million deal they gave Alonso in free agency last offseason.
New York Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns may never live down letting the greatest home run hitter in franchise history walk in free agency.
9. Ceddanne Rafaela: CF, Boston Red Sox
2 of 20
2026 Stats: .289 BA, 16 HR, 66 RBI, .792 OPS, 4.2 WAR
Despite having a 37-47 record at the end of June, the Red Sox are almost certainly going to be one of the AL's wild-card representatives. Ceddanne Rafaela has been at the forefront of a magical turnaround.
Per FanGraphs, Rafaela is sixth among all position players in WAR this season, which isn't surprising given how good of an all-around player he is.
The 25-year-old's calling card continues to be his center field glove, as he has 19 defensive runs saved and 14 outs above average in 2026.
8. Miguel Vargas: 3B, Chicago White Sox
3 of 20
2026 Stats: .245 BA, 29 HR, 74 RBI, .854 OPS, 4.4 WAR
Two years after losing a staggering 121 games, the White Sox find themselves in first place in the AL Central as the the regular season begins to wind down. Miguel Vargas is one of the stars who has emerged during what's been a special season on the South Side.
Vargas leads the AL in runs scored, and is on the doorstep of his first 30-home run season. The 26-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2026, and hit a titanic home run as part of the AL's victory at Citizens Bank Park:
There were some who felt badly for Vargas when he was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White Sox in July of 2024. As it turns out, getting to Chicago where he's had extended runway to play has been the best thing that could have happened for his career.
7. Willson Contreras: 1B, Boston Red Sox
4 of 20
2026 Stats: .282 BA, 26 HR, 78 RBI, .925 OPS, 4.0 WAR
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow hit on the addition of Willson Contreras last offseason, acquiring him in a December trade from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Contreras' age-34 season has been arguably the finest of his decorated career, as he is second among all AL hitters in OPS.
Contreras' $17 million salary for 2027 looks like a bargain now, and heck, the $20 million club option the Red Sox have on him for 2028 looks downright affordable considering how he's performing.
6. Dillon Dingler: C, Detroit Tigers
5 of 20
2026 Stats: .253 BA, 26 HR, 82 RBI, .802 OPS, 5.0 WAR
Dillon Dingler has been the best catcher in baseball in 2026, proving both power production and great defensive numbers, with ninth defensive runs saved and an 11 Fielding Run Value, per Statcast.
Shea Langeliers was voted the starter for the AL All-Star team over Dingler. However, with a WAR that's third among AL position players, it's hard to argue that anyone has played the position better than him in 2026, AL or NL.
5. Dylan Cease: RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
6 of 20
2026 Stats: 8-5, 2.37 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 209 SO, 144.1 IP, 5.0 WAR
While the Blue Jays are still alive in the weakest American League playoff race in a generation, it's fair to say that it's been a very disappointing season for the defending junior circuit champions
Dylan Cease has been tremendous, though, putting him very much in the AL Cy Young Award race after he joined the Jays on a seven-year, $210 million contract in free agency last offseason.
At the time of publication, Cease is tied for the highest WAR among AL starting pitchers, while leading the AL in strikeouts, FIP, H/9, HR/9 and K/9.
4. Cam Schlittler: RHP, New York Yankees
7 of 20
2026 Stats: 11-6, 2.16 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 193 SO, 158 IP, 5.0 WAR
Cam Schlittler is currently the front-runner to win the AL Cy Young Award, leading the junior circuit in ERA and ERA+, while being tied with the aforementioned Cease for the top mark in WAR. Particularly in a weak AL, that puts him in line for some down-ballot MVP votes.
Perhaps the only concern with Schlittler is how he'll hold up in the final weeks of the regular season. This is his first full MLB season, and he's logged 158 innings pitched so far. Will he hit a wall in September? So far, there's no evidence of that, as Schlittler has a 2.52 ERA in seven starts since his first All-Star Game selection.
3. Junior Caminero: 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
8 of 20
2026 Stats: .276 BA, 35 HR, 83 RBI, .895 OPS, 4.0 WAR
Junior Caminero has followed up a 45-homer season with an even better overall campaign, improving his OPS 50 points from the .846 mark he finished 2025 with.
When you add in that the Rays are likely going to be the No. 1 seeded team in the AL playoff bracket, Caminero should be able to improve upon the ninth-place finish he had in AL MVP voting in 2025.
2. Bobby Witt Jr.: SS, Kansas City Royals
9 of 20
2026 Stats: .287 BA, 16 HR, 48 RBI, .822 OPS, 6.2 WAR
Bobby Witt Jr. is likely headed for his second AL MVP runner-up finish in three years, as he was second to the aforementioned Judge in 2024. 2026 will be the third consecutive top-four finish for Witt.
Witt doesn't put up the gaudy home run numbers that a typical AL MVP candidate will, but he leads all junior circuit players in WAR because he does pretty much everything well. In addition to 26 doubles and 34 stolen bases, Witt has eight defensive runs saved and a staggering 23 outs above average at shortstop.
There will likely be a day where Witt wins the AL MVP. In the meantime, three top-four finishes in as many seasons is a pretty nice start to a Hall of Fame resume.
1. Yordan Alvarez: DH/LF, Houston Astros
10 of 20
2026 Stats: .320 BA, 36 HR, 90 RBI, 1.049 OPS, 5.8 WAR
Yordan Alvarez was limited to just 48 games last season. He's returned in 2026 with a season that's trending towards netting him his first AL MVP Award. A third-place finish in 2022 is his highest to this point.
Not only is Alvarez currently in line to win the Triple Crown as the AL leading in batting average, RBI and home runs, but he also tops the junior circuit in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, intentional walks and total bases.
That sure sounds like an MVP.
10. Jordan Walker: RF, St. Louis Cardinals
11 of 20
2026 Stats: .289 BA, 27 HR, 96 RBI, .854 OPS, 3.3 WAR
Jordan Walker has gone from looking like a bust to one of the better players in baseball this season.
In a breakout season that saw him earn his first All-Star Game selection and win the Home Run Derby, Walker has demonstrated across-the-board improvements. He's gone from a dismal .584 OPS in 2025 to .857 in 2026. He still hasn't graded out great in right field, but the minus-three defensive runs saved he has in 2026 are much better than the minus-11 he had in 2025. And frankly, he's hitting well enough to justify a move to first base or DH in the future if that's what ultimately winds up happening.
Still just 24 years old, Walker looks like a building block for the Cardinals, alongside likely NL Rookie of the Year JJ Wetherholt, who just missed out on this list. Walker also edged out other sluggers like Matt Olson and Kyle Schwarber to nab this spot. That could very well change during the final month of the season.
9. Corbin Carroll: RF, Arizona Diamondbacks
12 of 20
2026 Stats: .250 BA, 18 HR, 57 RBI, .834 OPS, 4.4 WAR
Corbin Carroll finished fifth in NL MVP voting in 2023, and sixth in 2025. The lightning-fast outfielder is likely headed for a third top-10 finish in MVP voting in four seasons.
Carroll is leading baseball in triples. It would be the third year in a row he led baseball in triples, and the fourth straight where he topped the NL.
Additionally, Carroll has had his finest defensive season of his career, with 12 defensive runs saved and 10 outs above average in right field.
8. Otto López: SS, Miami Marlins
13 of 20
2026 Stats: .306 BA, 9 HR, 58 RBI, .787 OPS, 4.5 WAR
There will be some gripes that Otto López is on this list over some players with more power production and/or that play in bigger markets, but he deserves to be here.
A first-time All-Star in 2026, López is currently tied for second in WAR among NL position players, He's got four defensive runs saved and 10 outs above average at shortstop, a premium position. His .306 batting average is fourth among senior circuit hitters, while López has also managed to swipe 25 bags.
Again, there's some tremendous players who just missed this list. That's the nature of these type of exercises. In our estimation, though, López deserved to be here.
7. Chris Sale: LHP, Atlanta Braves
14 of 20
2026 Stats: 12-9, 2.20 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 166 SO, 4.9 WAR
Between 2020 and 2023, injuries limited Chris Sale to just 151 innings total, seeming to derail a career that had once seemed destined for Cooperstown.
However, he's now made the NL All-Star team three times in as many seasons with the Braves. He's unlikely to take home his second NL Cy Young Award in three seasons, but Sale will probably be a finalist. If he finishes anywhere in the top five, it will be the eighth time in his Hall of Fame-bound career that he's done that.
Sale finished seventh in NL MVP voting two years ago when he won the pitching Triple Crown, so some won't like that he's in the top 10 at all. But he's so dominant every five days that we'll live with flack from those who are against pitchers getting MVP votes.
6. CJ Abrams: SS/2B, Washington Nationals
15 of 20
2026 Stats: .279 BA, 29 HR, 91 RBI, .884 OPS, 3.8 WAR
CJ Abrams started at shortstop for the National League All-Star team thanks to a monster offensive season that has him trending towards hitting 30-plus homers and driving in over 100 runs, while posting an OPS above .875.
The Nationals have since moved Abrams to second base. It's too early to tell how effective he'll be at second base, but given that he had minus-10 defensive runs saved and minus-63 outs above average at shortstop in his career, it was probably the right move.
Regardless of where Abrams plays defensively, he has a special bat. It will be interesting to see how the Nationals proceed with him this offseason after a top-10 NL MVP finish. They could try to sign him to a long-term deal, or consider selling high on him and trading him with two years until free agency.
5. Cristopher Sánchez: LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
16 of 20
2026 Stats: 16-4, 2.62 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 194 SO, 168.1 IP, 5.4 WAR
Cristopher Sánchez didn't allow a single run across five starts during the month of May, ultimately setting a new consecutive scoreless innings streak for a left-haned pitcher at 50.2 innings, which is the fifth-longest in MLB history.
Because of the emergence of another superstar pitcher in the NL, Sánchez will likely have to settle for his second consecutive runner-up finish in senior circuit Cy Young voting.
It's nonetheless been a special season for the 29-year-old lefty, who has cemented his place as one of the baseball's top workhorses with a third consecutive tremendous campaign.
4. James Wood: LF, Washington Nationals
17 of 20
2026 Stats: .265 BA, 30 HR, 73 RBI, .928 OPS, 4.2 WAR
James Woods likely won't finish this high because he's been sidelined by a left oblique strain since Aug. 4. Still, based on what's taken place in the season to this point, Wood deserves to be this high.
Wood currently leads the senior circuit in on-base percentage (.393), and all of baseball in runs scored (100), despite the fact that he hasn't played in a few weeks. The Nationals have faded in his absence, but overachieved for much of the season thanks to an elite offense led by Wood.
The Nationals would be wise to try to sign the soon-to-be 24-year-old to a long-term extension this offseason. He'll become arbitration eligible in 2028, and can become a free agent after the 2030 campaign.
3. Jacob Misiorowski: RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
18 of 20
2026 Stats: 13-5, 1.68 ERA, 2.14 FIP, 216 SO, 145 IP, 5.6 WAR
The dominance of Jacob Misiorowski has probably been the story of the 2026 season, so you can argue he should be even higher on this list. Alas, a unanimous NL Cy Young victory and being an MVP finalist isn't a bad consolation prize.
"The Miz" leads all MLB starters in ERA, ERA+, strikeouts, FIP, WHIP, H/9, K/9, strikeout-to-walk ratio and WAR. It's hard to be much more dominant than that.
Of course, Misiorowski has done all this while averaging 100.6 mph on his fastball. It's fair to be skeptical of how much longevity he'll have throwing that hard consistently, but Misiorowski has held up this season, and it's been special to watch.
2. Shohei Ohtani: DH/RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
19 of 20
2026 Batting Stats: .288 BA, 30 HR, 80 RBI, .935 OPS, 4.1 WAR
2026 Pitching Stats: 8-2, 1.79 ERA, 2.59 FIP, 95 SO, 85.2 IP, 3.0 WAR
Prior to his knee injury—and just an insane run from the guy at No. 1—Shohei Ohtani seemed destined to win his fifth MVP. And he still could depending on how the final month of the season goes.
There's no doubt, though, that Ohtani not pitching since July has hindered his MVP case. With an 8-2 record and 1.79 ERA in 14 starts, Ohtani was having his finest season on the mound yet. Had anything like that continued, it would have been hard to deny him the MVP.
Still, Ohtani has logged 85.2 innings and leads all NL hitters in OPS. This isn't his best season, but it's still pretty remarkable. And if his floor is finishing runner-up in MVP voting, that's a pretty great endorsement of his greatness.
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong: CF, Chicago Cubs
20 of 20
2026 Stats: .281 BA, 33 HR, 83 RBI, .938 OPS, 8.7 WAR
When Pete Crow-Armstrong had a .669 OPS at the end of April, there were serious question about just how good of an offensive player he was. Mind you, this was on the heels of a .634 OPS after an All-Star selection in 2026.
Well, PCA has answered any questions about his offense since then, as he's leading the National League in both slugging percentage and total bases. It's also not an exaggeration to say he's one of the most gifted center field defenders we've ever seen, as he's headed towards a second consecutive Gold Glove Award win with 14 defensive runs saved and 23 outs above average.
Crow-Armstrong's 8.5 WAR is indicative of what's been one of the most complete seasons in recent memory. He's trending towards becoming the first Cub to win NL MVP since Kris Bryant in 2016.
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