MLB MVP Race Breakdown: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani Are Still the Standard

We're just about one-third of the way through the 2025 MLB season, and we've seen some standout performances from many of the league's superstars, as well as some emerging, breakout talents.

Although we've not yet reached the season's halfway point, the MVP races have already begun to heat up thanks to some scalding hot starts from last year's winners in New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

At the end of the day, there's still plenty more baseball left to play, with most teams still having at least 100 games remaining on the schedule. A lot can change, and a lot probably will change.

As of now, however, it seems clear that Judge and Ohtani are the early favorites to repeat as MVPs. Both are enjoying dominant seasons and maintaining, if not improving upon, their level of play from last year. It's their award to lose at this point, though we've seen some outstanding performances from other players looking to make their case to be named Most Valuable Player.

We're going to take a look at the American League and National League MVP races, and rank the top three players in contention for each award. All stats are updated entering Tuesday’s games.

American League MVP Rankings

3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

After emerging as a superstar last season, Witt is again off to a roaring start in 2025. The Royals shortstop has racked up 20 stolen bases through his first 60 games and boasts an impressive OPS of .822. He's a game-changer both on defense and offense, and leads MLB with 22 doubles on the year. Witt finished as the MVP runner-up in the American League last year and figures to be in consideration for the award again in 2025.

2. Cal Raleigh, C, Seattle Mariners

Raleigh has been off to a scalding hot start to the 2025 season. The Seattle Mariners backstop is tied with Shohei Ohtani for MLB's home run lead with 23. He owns a 1.016 OPS and a .637 slugging percentage, and has even swiped six bases. Raleigh is a rare breed––a switch-hitting catcher that posts MVP-like hitting numbers, all while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense behind the plate. No MLB catcher has ever hit 50 home runs in a season, but at his current pace, Raleigh would be on track to launch 64 homers over the course of a 162-game season.

1. Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees — Judge is on pace to become the first player to slash .375/.475/.750 in a season since Rogers Hornsby in 1925. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This one is obvious. No player in baseball has been better to start the season than Judge, who already paces MLB with a stunning 4.7 WAR in just 58 games. Judge leads all of MLB in the following categories: hits (86), batting average (.391), on-base percentage (.485), slugging percentage (.764) and OPS (1.249). Judge remains a constant threat any time he's in the batter’s box, and thus far he's running away with his third AL MVP award in four years.

Honorable Mentions

Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman, Red Sox DH Rafael Devers, Guardians 3B José Ramírez

National League MVP Rankings

3. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

One of baseball's most consistent stars throughout his career, Freeman hasn't slowed down a bit in his 16th MLB season. The 35-year-old remains one of the sport’s best hitters, posting a 1.056 OPS in 49 games, ranking second in MLB behind Judge, along with nine homers, 38 RBIs and an NL-best .368 batting average. Freeman dominated in May, hitting .410 with 43 hits, four home runs and 21 RBIs in 27 games, and he'll look to stay hot throughout the summer.

2. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Chicago Cubs

Crow-Armstrong has emerged as one of the game’s most exciting players, and one of the best, too. The 23-year-old is off to a sensational start to the season, posting a .873 OPS to go with 15 home runs, 51 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, making him the only player with at least 15 HR and 15 SB. After recording 2.3 WAR in 123 games last year, Crow-Armstrong has already accumulated 3.6 WAR in just 59 games this season. Boasting a devastating combination of power and speed, Crow-Armstrong is MLB's biggest breakout star thus far into the season, and he if can keep it up, he could potentially challenge Ohtani for the MVP award.

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers

He may not be tracking for another 50-50 season, but Ohtani is still the top dog in the NL and is putting together one of the best-ever seasons by a leadoff hitter. He's tied for the MLB lead with 23 home runs, ranks second with a .661 slugging percentage and is on pace to become the first player since 1936 to score at least 162 runs. He's not yet returned to his pitching duties, though that's an expected step for Ohtani this season. Assuming his return to the mound is successful, he'll be hard to compete with for the NL MVP award. If he does win again, it would mark the third straight year he was named MVP and the fourth time in the last five seasons.