More than a third of the way into the 2025 MLB season, superstars are doing their thing and, well, starring. But there are other players who've turned hot starts into sustained success as they look to join the ranks of superstardom themselves.
The latest MLB.com MVP poll reflects all this. Big names have continued to make strong cases for hardware at the end of the season while others have surged in the polling to become strong contenders. While neither the AL nor NL race seems close at the moment, there's plenty of time for things to change (but don't necessarily count on it).
A panel of 41 experts cast votes based not just on performances so far, but also on how things are expected to play out between now and October.
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's games.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees (40 first-place votes)
This race remains a runaway. And why shouldn't it? Judge continues to be the best all-around hitter in baseball, entering Monday as the MLB leader in batting average (.391), hits (86), extra-base hits (38), on-base percentage (.485), OPS (1.249) and total bases (168), while ranking third in homers (21). In other words, he's well on his way to a second straight AL MVP Award, which would be his third overall.
2. Cal Raleigh, Mariners (one first-place vote)
Raleigh has been on a crazy heater and is on his way to a historic season. His 23 homers through Sunday led MLB, and he has six long balls in his past six games, including dingers in three straight. Big Dumper's 12 homers in May were tops in the AL and his 1.169 OPS was second only to Judge. His overall 1.016 OPS entering Monday led all qualified catchers.
3. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Witt continues to display a game-changing skill set. His .283 average and .822 OPS both rank third among qualified AL shortstops while he leads the group in doubles (22), triples (three) and stolen bases (20). In a 12-game stretch from May 4-16, Witt hit .354 and slugged .708.
4. José Ramírez, Guardians
Ramírez just keeps doing it. Entering Monday, he led all qualified AL third basemen in average (.327), hits (69) and OPS (.939), thanks in part to a recent 21-game hitting streak. Among all AL positions, he ranked in the top five in average, slugging (.555) and OPS through Sunday. He also entered Monday with 11 homers and 14 stolen bases, putting him on pace for another 30-30 season.
5-T. Rafael Devers, Red Sox
5-T. Tarik Skubal, Tigers
Devers started quite slowly, but he's made up a ton of ground since early April. From April 14 through Sunday, he's hit .307 with 11 homers, a 1.007 OPS and an AL-leading 43 RBIs. He also led all AL designated hitters with 47 walks entering Monday.
Skubal, meanwhile, continues to look a lot like the guy who won the AL Pitching Triple Crown in 2024 and was a unanimous Cy Young winner. His 0.79 WHIP entering Monday was best in the AL among qualified starters, while his 99 strikeouts ranked second and his 2.26 ERA ranked seventh.
Others receiving votes: Jacob Wilson, Spencer Torkelson, Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan O'Hearn, Logan O'Hoppe, Max Fried, Riley Greene, Jeremy Peña, Carlos Rodón, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jonathan Aranda, Alex Bregman
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (31 first-place votes)
Ohtani hit .260 with six homers and an .834 OPS through his first 24 games. After his historic 50-50 season, that felt underwhelming. Since then? How about .316 with 16 homers and a 1.196 OPS? His 22 homers are tops in the NL and his 1.045 OPS entering Monday ranked second. And now that he seems to be well on his way back to the mound? He could be headed to another unanimous MVP Award.
2. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (five first-place votes)
Crow-Armstrong's outstanding first two months have propelled him from "also receiving votes" in our first MVP poll to a strong second-place showing here. His 51 RBIs through Sunday were second-most in baseball, while his 19 stolen bases were second-most in the NL. Meanwhile, his 15 homers through Sunday were second-most among NL outfielders. Also, his 10 Outs Above Average through Sunday led all MLB outfielders.
3. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (two first-place votes)
Freeman just gets better with age. The 2020 NL MVP is certainly making a run at another trophy this season, leading the NL with a .365 average and 1.055 OPS entering Monday. Freeman hit a silly .410 in May, which led all MLB hitters by plenty. It wasn't just singles, either. He had four homers, 10 doubles and a triple for a 1.100 OPS during the month, which was second in the NL to Ohtani's 1.180.
4. Corbin Carroll, D-backs
Carroll has continued his surprising early-season power surge and his 16 homers are tied for third-most in the NL. Entering Monday, he led the NL with six triples (which also tied him for the MLB lead) and was second in total bases (132) behind Ohtani. He's also tied for fourth in the NL with 44 runs scored.
5. Kyle Tucker, Cubs (one first-place vote)
Tucker entered Monday hitting .284 with 12 homers and a .918 OPS, which ranked seventh in the NL overall and second among outfielders. In other words, he's given the Cubs just what they wanted when they traded for him in the offseason. Over his past 11 games, he's hit .410 with a 1.090 OPS.
Others receiving votes: Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Schwarber (one first-place vote), Pete Alonso, Geraldo Perdomo, Francisco Lindor, James Wood, Seiya Suzuki (one first-place vote), Will Smith, Juan Soto, Jesús Luzardo, Brendan Donovan