MLB MVP Rankings: Stars shining bright early in New York

Welcome to the first edition of theScore's 2025 Most Valuable Player rankings, where we look at the top five players in each league. Let's run through some of the best performances through the first month-and-a-half of the season. Odds courtesy theScore Bet.

American League

5. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals

The reigning AL MVP runner-up slashed .363/.442/.550 with 11 extra-base hits, 14 RBIs, and six stolen bases during a 22-game hit streak following a slow start to the season. He raised his OPS by almost .200 points during his torrid April 8-May 1 stretch thanks to six multi-hit contests. The 24-year-old's play also helped the Royals win 11 out of their last 13 games.

4. Alex Bregman, Red Sox

Bregman's been the best third baseman in baseball this season. He leads all qualified players at his position in hits (45), runs (26), doubles (14), RBIs (27), and fWAR (1.9). The 31-year-old is in the 87th percentile for average exit velocity, 80th for hard-hit percentage, and 83rd in expected slugging percentage. His approach at the plate has been great: He sits in the 93rd percentile for chase percentage and 89th in whiff percentage.

3. Jorge Polanco, Mariners

Coming off the worst full season of his 12-year career, Polanco's responded with a monster start. The former All-Star's 224 wRC+ is second only to Aaron Judge among hitters with at least 90 plate appearances in 2025. The veteran infielder has predominantly played as a designated hitter, which has allowed him to focus on offense. He's recorded seven multi-hit games, including four three-hit contests.

2. Cal Raleigh, Mariners

Raleigh is the heart and soul of the Mariners on both sides of the ball. The 28-year-old is tied for the MLB lead with 12 long balls and has posted a 170 wRC+ to pace his AL West-leading team. The star catcher's defensive numbers are still strong but have gone down after securing a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove last year: He sits in the 91st percentile in framing and 50th in pop time.

1. Aaron Judge, Yankees

It's Judge's world and everybody else is just living in it. It's hard to comprehend that the Yankees captain has taken another leap in his age-33 season; over the last three years, he slashed a combined .304/.433/.674 with 157 homers, 350 RBIs, and a 202 wRC+ en route to winning a pair of MVP awards. However, the superstar outfielder's astonishing numbers now put him in prime Barry Bonds territory. Surely, he will regress soon ... or maybe not? His manager doesn't think he's even gotten hot yet.

National League

5. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Ohtani's numbers are a little down compared to his historic 2024 season that secured his third MVP award over the last four years. However, he's still been the best player on the best team in baseball, so he gets the benefit of the doubt over other potential early candidates such as Pete Crow-Armstrong or Geraldo Perdomo. The 30-year-old DH could also return to the mound at some point, which would elevate his status.

4. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks

Carroll is having a massive bounce-back campaign after the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year failed to meet lofty expectations in his second season. The 24-year-old sits in the top 10 in almost every significant offensive category, including hits (44), triples (four), homers (10), runs scored (29), slugging percentage (.588), and OPS (.943). What's a little surprising is that he only has five steals despite ranking in the 98th percentile in sprint speed. He swiped a combined 89 bags across 2023-24.

3. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

Tatis looks like the player he was in 2021 when he finished as an NL MVP finalist. His 164 wRC+ only trails Ohtani, Pete Alonso, and Kyle Schwarber among his peers in the Senior Circuit. He's also made it a point to incorporate his legs as a weapon again, stealing eight bases on 10 attempts in 34 games after recording 11 on 14 tries across 102 contests in 2024.

2. Kyle Tucker, Cubs

"The new kid with the huge feet," as Brewers manager Pat Murphy referred to him, has been terrorizing the NL after an offseason trade from the Astros. Tucker has a chance to break the bank in his looming free agency. In the meantime, he's transformed the Cubs into an offensive juggernaut with plus-60 run differential. The team has also scored an MLB-best 222 runs and swatted the third-most homers (55).

1. Pete Alonso, Mets

The vibe around Alonso is completely different since he returned to the Mets on a two-year, $54-million prove-it deal. The four-time All-Star is tied for the NL-lead in RBIs and owns the highest fWAR and wRC+ in that league. The 30-year-old also sits in the 96th percentile or better in seven different categories on Baseball Savant. If the slugging first baseman can keep this up, he has a chance to finally get his monster payday next winter.