Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to lead their respective leagues in MLB.com’s latest Most Valuable Player poll. Both players have topped the last two polls.
Some of the 33 votes in this month’s poll were submitted before news emerged that Judge is dealing with a flexor strain in his right elbow. He was placed on the injured list, but the UCL in his elbow remains intact. The team hopes he will return after a minimum stay on the IL as a designated hitter.
Judge leads Major League Baseball in all triple-slash categories (.342/.449/.711) and has hit 37 home runs, trailing only Cal Raleigh in the American League. Raleigh, catcher for the Seattle Mariners, has seen his first-place vote count rise over recent polls and recently became both the first catcher and switch-hitter to hit 40 home runs before August. He now sits seven home runs shy of Salvador Perez’s single-season record for homers by a primary catcher.
Cleveland Guardians’ José Ramírez continues his consistent performance, reaching at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases for a seventh consecutive full season. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, last year’s unanimous AL Cy Young Award winner, has improved his ERA to 2.09 and increased his strikeout rate to 33.8%. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., though posting lower offensive numbers than last year, remains valuable due to strong defense and baserunning.
Other American League players receiving votes include Byron Buxton (Twins), Riley Greene (Tigers), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), George Springer (Blue Jays), Nick Kurtz (Athletics), Julio Rodríguez (Mariners), and Junior Caminero (Rays).
In the National League, Shohei Ohtani leads with 26 first-place votes. Ohtani recently tied a Dodgers franchise record by homering in five straight games and currently leads the league with 38 home runs and a .998 OPS. He has also allowed just two earned runs over six pitching starts this season.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is second in voting with six first-place votes, having hit 27 home runs so far this season along with notable speed and defensive skills. Juan Soto of the New York Mets is third after an impressive stretch since June 1 that includes hitting 16 of his 25 total home runs during that period.
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber ranks fourth among NL MVP candidates following a strong July performance with an NL-best 11 home runs for the month and a 1.087 OPS—second-highest in the league for July. Schwarber is projected to finish with a career-best 55 home runs, which would be second-most in Phillies history behind Ryan Howard’s record-setting season in 2006.
Kyle Tucker of the Cubs rounds out the top five; despite being overshadowed by teammates, he maintains solid offensive numbers including an opportunity to join baseball’s “30-30 club” for home runs and stolen bases.
Other National League players receiving votes include Fernando Tatis Jr., Will Smith (Dodgers), Paul Skenes (Pirates), Pete Alonso (Mets), Corbin Carroll (D-backs), Eugenio Suárez (D-backs), Elly De La Cruz (Reds), Trea Turner (Phillies), Manny Machado (Padres), James Wood (Nationals), Seiya Suzuki (Cubs), Zack Wheeler (Phillies), Ketel Marte (D-backs) and Kyle Stowers (Marlins).
“June has typically been the month when Schwarber becomes an unstoppable force. But this season, it’s been a really strong July that has put Philadelphia’s DH into the MVP conversation. No NL player has more dingers this month (11), and his 1.087 OPS ranks second in the NL. Schwarber is on pace for a career-best 55 homers, which would be the second-most in Phillies franchise history. Ryan Howard had 58 home runs in 2006, when he was feted as NL MVP.”
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