7 players who could win their first MVP this season

When you win an MVP, you have one forever. There are multiple baseball players, in fact, who will sign a little “MVP” next to their names on autographs for the rest of their lives after they retire. (Unless they make the Hall of Fame: Then that “MVP” becomes a “HOF.”) But you’d be surprised by some of the great players who never won one. Derek Jeter. Mike Piazza. Tony Gwynn. Ozzie Smith. Sometimes, the perfect circumstances just never come together. Heck, the guy who just signed the biggest contract in baseball, Juan Soto, still hasn’t won one.

Some years, those circumstances do come together. There are some players off to terrific starts who have the historical pedigree to win an MVP at some point but still haven’t gotten one. Here’s a look at seven players who have yet to get a trophy but have a legitimate opportunity to do so this year. You’ll notice this list is very NL-heavy, and we can all thank Aaron Judge for that. I’ll also note that we’re only talking about guys who have been in the Major Leagues a few years, which is why you won’t see breakout stars like Pete Crow-Armstrong and James Wood listed below. (Players are listed alphabetically by last name.)

Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Best finish: Seventh (2019)
Ever wonder what Alonso, a famous masher who has only hit above .260 twice in his career, would look like if he suddenly became a .300 hitter without losing any of his power? This is what he looks like: An MVP. After an offseason in which it looked for a while like he might be leaving the Mets, Alonso has been locked in from Day One for them this year. His .408 OBP would be 50 points higher than his career high, and he seems like a good bet to lead the NL in RBIs if he stays healthy; can he get more than his career high of 131? Nice time to potentially be a free agent again next year, too.

Alex Bregman, 3B, Red Sox
Best finish: Second (2019)
The Red Sox may have sort of stumbled into Bregman this offseason -- and may have been beneficiaries of the Cubs not making a huge offer -- but it’s fair to say they’re not looking for a refund. Bregman has been Boston’s best player so far, and he’s actually putting up his best numbers since his incredible 2019 season. Bregman’s .955 OPS would be his highest since that campaign, and he hasn’t topped .820 in any season since. Any MVP case Bregman makes will likely require the Red Sox to have a better record than they do right now, but that’s certainly within the realm of possibilities here. Bregman, it turns out, may well be a perfect fit at Fenway Park, and the sort of veteran leader this team needs … particularly with all the drama going on there these days.

Corbin Carroll, RF, D-backs
Best finish: Fifth (2023)
Carroll’s supposed sophomore slump seems a long time in the past right now, doesn’t it? He has been giving the D-backs everything they’d gotten used to the last couple of seasons -- except he’s giving them even more of it. Carroll has definitely powered up this season; after hitting 25 homers in 2023 and 22 in 2024, he already has 14 this year, but it hasn’t cost him any of his on-base skills or his speed. He’s holding up defensively, as well, for a team that has sputtered a little more than some might have expected in a tough division, but, of course, was just in the World Series 19 months ago. It might be a little early to expect Carroll to win an MVP just yet, but there’s no question the D-backs would be lost without him.

Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets
Best finish: Second (2024)
Lindor has actually finished in the top 10 in MVP voting six times in his career, including his second-place finish last year. (And it required Shohei Ohtani doing that to stop him.) As he gets further into his 30s, you wonder how many chances he’s going to have to win one of these, but he’s also the unquestioned leader of a Mets team that’s one of the best -- and one of the most exciting -- in all of baseball. When you think of the Mets, you think of Lindor; he’s their obvious leader. He’s also -- it should be reminded -- having a fantastic year: Every single one of his slash numbers (.279/.347/.463) is among the highest of his career, and he ranks in the top 10 in the NL in hits. And he’ll get every single sentimental vote: Sportswriters love this guy. And they’re right to.

You’ll note that there are two Mets here, neither of whom is Soto. No one should be surprised if that changes.

Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres
Best finish: Third (2021)
Did you wonder if Tatis, in the wake of his suspension during the 2022 season, would ever be a serious MVP contender? Would he ever be the superstar we all once assumed he’d be? The answer turns out to be an unqualified yes. Tatis is actually leading the NL in WAR right now -- he’s second to Judge in all of baseball -- and it turns out that right field is the perfect position for him; he’s maybe the best right fielder in the sport. He’s not only hitting for power, getting on base and playing terrific defense, either: He’s even stealing bases again. (This may end up being his 30-30 year.) And he has the Padres as one of the happiest surprises in the sport. He’s not what we thought he was. He’s probably better.

Kyle Tucker, RF, Cubs
Best finish: Fifth (2023)
If you’re wondering why Tucker has never finished higher than fifth in MVP voting, well, now you know why so many of us have been calling him so underrated throughout his career. He was well on his way to a top-three finish last year in Houston had he not gotten injured, but he sure feels like he's on his way to one this year for a Cubs team that -- largely thanks to him -- has been one of the best offenses in baseball so far. The fact that he’s clearly understood to be set to make himself a lot of money this offseason has actually raised his profile considerably, as has the fact that he’s now playing half his games at Wrigley Field. If the Cubs win the division, and Tucker has a typical year … the award could be his.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals
Best finish: Second (2024)
It took an all-time season for Judge to stop Witt from winning AL MVP last year, and surely that won’t happen again … oh, wait. Well, if Judge keeps hitting the way he is right now, he’ll win every MVP until the Earth crashes into the sun, but if he ever does deign to slow down, it’ll be Witt right there waiting to take over. His numbers are slightly down from last year, but only slightly, and he’s still hitting .302 and leading MLB in doubles (18). His only real issue so far has been converting those doubles into homers, but you suspect that’ll happen soon, too. He also remains essentially the entire offense for the Royals, which is why he’ll continue to get the lion’s share of the credit, deservedly so, as that team continues to surprise.