In Major League Baseball, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the player in each league (American and National) who is deemed to have contributed the most to their team's success during the regular season.
The award, presented by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) since 1931, does not have a strict formula, but voters are given the following guidelines:
Guideline Description|
| Actual Value to Team | Strength of offense and defense | | Number of Games Played | Availability and playing time are considered | | General Character, Disposition, Loyalty, and Effort | Intangibles are considered | | Former Winners | Previous MVP winners are eligible for the award | | Multiple Teammates | Members of the committee may vote for more than one member of a team | | No Team Record Requirement | The MVP does not need to come from a division winner or other playoff qualifier |
Based on recent polls and reports as of late September 2025, the leading contenders for the MLB MVP awards are Aaron Judge in the American League (AL) and Shohei Ohtani in the National League (NL).
Here are the top candidates for each league:
American League
Rank PlayerTeamPositionNotable Stats (As of late Sept. 2025)|
| 1 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | RF | MLB leader in batting average (.326), OPS (1.123), WAR (9.2), slugging percentage (.672), OBP (.451); 50+ HR | | 2 | Cal Raleigh | Seattle Mariners | C | Leads MLB in home runs (58), breaking the Mariners franchise record; 121 RBI; 8.8 fWAR | | 3 | José Ramírez | Cleveland Guardians | 3B | Excellent offensive performance, strong leader for Guardians | | 4 | Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals | SS | First player in MLB history with a 20-30 stat line in first four seasons (23 HR, 37 SB); 7.7 fWAR | | 5 | George Springer | Toronto Blue Jays | RF | Best offensive season since 2019; 30 HR, 0.953 OPS, 4.7 fWAR; leading candidate for a team with the best record in the AL |
Note: The AL MVP race is described as very close, according to MLB.com.
National League
Rank PlayerTeamPositionNotable Stats (As of late Sept. 2025)|
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | DH/SP | Leading the NL in runs (141), home runs (53), OPS (1.015), and wRC+ (172); also pitching with a 2.12 FIP and 27.1% K-BB rate | | 2 | Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies | LF/DH | Career highs in HR (53) and RBI (129); MLB leader in hard-hit rate (59.7%); 4.7 fWAR | | 3 | Juan Soto | New York Mets | RF | Career-high 42 HR, 35 SB, making him the 16th player in MLB history with a 40-30 season; likely to lead MLB in walks for the 4th time since 2021 | | 4 | Geraldo Perdomo | Arizona Diamondbacks | SS | Not specified in search results | | 5 | Paul Skenes | Pittsburgh Pirates | SP | Not specified in search results |
Note: Shohei Ohtani is considered the clear frontrunner for the NL MVP award |
