The first month-plus of the 2025 MLB season has already produced MVP-like performances from dozens of players, and that's reflected in MLB.com's first MVP poll of the season.
A total of 46 experts cast ballots for early MVP picks in the American and National Leagues, and the results contain lots of familiar names -- but also plenty of noisemakers you probably wouldn't have predicted before the season.
Fifty players received at least one vote between the two leagues -- 30 in the AL and 20 in the NL. In the AL, the early favorite is clear. Unanimous, in fact. But in the NL, the race is wide open.
It's important to point out that votes were based not just on performances so far, but also on how things are expected to play out over the rest of the season.
Voters ranked their top five picks in each league on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results.
All stats are through Sunday.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees (46 first-place votes; unanimous)
This is as obvious as obvious gets. Judge was not only hitting .423 through Sunday, but also led all of baseball in hits (55), runs (32), RBIs (33), on-base percentage (.510), slugging percentage (.777) and, obviously, OPS (1.287). So, it figures that he also leads in both the Baseball Reference and FanGraphs version of WAR (3.1 bWAR; 3.4 fWAR). Judge had a 14-game hitting streak entering Monday and hit .474 with a 1.348 OPS during that stretch, which included nine multi-hit games. Mind blowing: Through Sunday, Judge was on pace for 481 total bases, which would smash the all-time single-season record of 457, set by Babe Ruth in 1921.
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (no first-place votes)
Coming off a second-place MVP vote last season, Witt just keeps doing his thing. He was hitting .306 coming into Monday and was tied for the MLB lead with 13 doubles. Ever the five-tool threat, Witt was also tied for third in the AL with nine stolen bases and tied for second among MLB shortstops with five Outs Above Average. His four homers and .872 OPS are both tops among AL shortstops.
3. Alex Bregman, Red Sox (no first-place votes)
Bregman's first season in Boston has been a smashing -- and mashing -- success so far. His .979 OPS through Sunday was third-best in baseball and his 13 doubles were tied for the MLB lead. Meanwhile, his 27 RBIs entering Monday were most among MLB third basemen, and his eight homers led AL players at the hot corner. Also, his 172 OPS+ so far would easily be a career high.
4. Cal Raleigh, Mariners (no first-place votes)
Big Dumper had had quite the power surge during the first month-plus. His 12 homers through Sunday led all MLB players, while his .945 OPS was ninth-best in baseball. Raleigh's 23 RBIs entering Monday were tops among all catchers, as was his .587 slugging percentage. Raleigh is on pace to finish with 9.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs, which is certainly an MVP-worthy number.
5. José Ramírez, Guardians (no first-place votes)
Ramírez fell just short of a 40-40 season in 2024 and famously predicted, "I'll do it next year." Well, he's on pace for 40 steals but not 40 homers. It wouldn't be wise to count him out, however. Though he's started a bit slow in 2025, Ramírez has averaged 32 homers, 107 RBIs and 29 stolen bases the past four seasons, so one hot stretch is all it would take to get him right back on a 40-40 pace, and also into the thick of the MVP conversation.
Others receiving votes: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Jorge Polanco (Mariners), Tarik Skubal (Tigers), Spencer Torkelson (Tigers), Wilyer Abreu (Red Sox), Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees), Ben Rice (Yankees), Hunter Brown (Astros), Julio Rodríguez (Mariners), Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Steven Kwan (Guardians), Brent Rooker (A's), Garrett Crochet (Red Sox), George Springer (Blue Jays), Trent Grisham (Yankees), Riley Greene (Tigers), Chandler Simpson (Rays), Corey Seager (Rangers), Jacob Wilson (A's), Jonathan Aranda (Rays), Kerry Carpenter (Tigers), Mike Trout (Angels), Tyler Soderstrom (A's), Yordan Alvarez (Astros)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres (16 first-place votes)
Tatis is back to hitting like a superstar, with his .328 average through Sunday pacing all NL outfielders and his .973 OPS ranking third among all NL players. He had eight homers and eight stolen bases entering Monday, putting him on pace for his first 40-40 season. Tatis is already at 2.1 WAR this season, according to the FanGraphs model, and he's on pace to finish with 10.6 WAR.
2. Pete Alonso, Mets (17 first-place votes)
Alonso, already a four-time All-Star, is having his best season yet through 35 games in 2025. He came into Monday leading the NL with a .344 average and a 1.124 OPS, and tied for the MLB lead in doubles (13). His home run pop is still there (eight so far), but he's become much more of a complete hitter. Consider: He's never had another 35-game stretch within a single season in which he's hit .344 or better. Like Tatis, Alonso is on pace for a 10-plus fWAR season.
3. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (eight first-place votes)
Ohtani was a near-universal preseason favorite to win his fourth MVP Award (and third straight), especially coming off MLB's first 50-50 season and with the expectation that he'd return to the mound at some point in the first half. He's still not close to pitching in games, but his bat and his legs have him on pace for a 40-40 season. His numbers so far aren't blatantly flashy compared to 2024, but his .970 OPS through Sunday was still seventh-best in baseball. And, again: He's on a 40-40 pace.
4. Kyle Tucker, Cubs (four first-place votes)
Tucker might just prove to the missing ingredient the Cubs needed for a deep playoff run. Coming into Monday, his .976 OPS was second-best in the NL, his nine homers were tied for third-most and his 30 RBIs and .399 on-base percentage both ranked fourth. Overall, the three-time All-Star is on pace for 42 homers, 139 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. All three would be career highs -- and make him yet another player on this list who could flirt with a 40-40 season.
5. Corbin Carroll, D-backs (no first-place votes)
Carroll has been one of baseball's early surprises in 2025. He led MLB in homers for part of the first month, and he's continued to rake extra-base hits all over the place, including an MLB-best four triples. In fact, Carroll's 21 extra-base hits through Sunday were tied for second-most in baseball, and his 84 total bases ranked second only to Judge. He's never hit more than 25 homers in a season, but he's on pace for 43 this year. He's also on pace for 124 RBIs, which would demolish his previous career high of 76.
Others receiving votes: Francisco Lindor (Mets), Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Juan Soto (Mets), Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers). Jung Hoo Lee (Giants), Pavin Smith (D-backs), Elly De La Cruz (Reds), Hunter Greene (Reds), Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers), Brendan Donovan (Cardinals), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Geraldo Perdomo (D-backs), Kyle Stowers (Marlins), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs)