wide-open AL – MLB.com’s second MVP poll of 2026 shows a clear favorite in the National League, but the American League vote is tight: Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. are separated by just a few points as voters project how the season is expected to finish.
By the time the newest MVP ballots were tallied, the American League looked less like a single-race runaway—and more like a three-man sprint where a few swings could decide everything.
MLB.com’s second MVP poll of the season. released with all stats through Monday. brought in a full panel of 35 MLB.com experts. Thirty-five different players received at least one vote. and each voter ranked their top five picks in each league on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale—five points for a first-place vote. four for second. and so on. Importantly. the voting was meant to reflect how the season is expected to play out. not just where things stand right now.
In the National League, the lead looks familiar. In the American League, it doesn’t.
The top of the American League ballot starts with Yordan Alvarez, Astros. Alvarez pulled 118 total vote points and earned 7 first-place votes. He also tied Aaron Judge with 19 first-place votes in MLB.com’s first MVP poll of the season in early May. but the projected balloting has shifted. Alvarez has kept rolling with a .301/.416/.634 slash line, 20 home runs and 39 RBIs as a left-handed designated hitter and outfielder. After being held to just 48 games last season due to multiple injuries, he’s become a force again. Voters still ask the same question: can he net his first MVP Award?.
Behind Alvarez is Aaron Judge, Yankees, with 112 total vote points and 10 first-place votes. Judge has claimed the AL’s past two MVP Awards and three of the past four. and he’s still producing—17 home runs and a .907 OPS. But voters point to a small disconnect from his usual standards. From 2022-25, Judge posted a 1.117 OPS, and this season’s results have not matched that level. A recently revealed bone bruise might explain part of the gap. Still. for a hitter of Judge’s caliber. voters are weighing how quickly momentum can turn—one hot streak can be enough.
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals, is right there with 111 total vote points and 13 first-place votes. Witt received the most first-place votes of any AL player. but he finished just a hair behind Judge and not far behind Alvarez in total points. The contrast is in the overall offensive year: Witt is at an .832 OPS with nine home runs. But the case for him is built on the full package. He has 17 steals and has the best defense in the Majors by Outs Above Average. If Alvarez falters or Judge fails to step it up. the way voters see it. this could be Witt’s year.
Even with the top three dominating the projection, the ballot isn’t only about the frontrunners. Ben Rice, Yankees, sits at 71 total vote points with 4 first-place votes. After a breakout 2025, Rice has kept growing through his third Major League season. He’s batting .306 with 17 home runs and 44 RBIs, and he leads MLB in slugging percentage (.658) and OPS (1.055). MLB.com’s voters note the way Rice fits—his role as a left-handed complement to Judge in a potent Yankees lineup. But the numbers in the voting also show how steep the path still looks: only four of the voters projected Rice to claim the MVP Award at the end of 2026.
The list continues with Oakland’s Bryson?—spelled here as Kurtz—receiving down-ballot support despite no first-place votes. Kurtz. the A’s first baseman and the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. has been “back for more in 2026.” He has a .439 on-base percentage that leads the Majors by 23 points over Alvarez. Kurtz also has 41 RBIs and a .939 OPS. His 48-game on-base streak is no more, but he’s still putting up a year that earned serious consideration.
Beyond the ranked top five. other players receiving votes in the American League included Mike Trout (Angels). Junior Caminero (Rays). Munetaka Murakami (White Sox). Shea Langeliers (Athletics). Yandy Díaz (Rays). Cam Schlittler (Yankees). Julio Rodríguez (Mariners). Kevin McGonigle (Tigers). Cody Bellinger (Yankees). Miguel Vargas (White Sox). Colson Montgomery (White Sox). José Ramírez (Guardians).
Across the league, the National League picture is more settled at the top. Shohei Ohtani. Dodgers. stands out with 158 total vote points and 30 first-place votes — a lead that underscores how difficult it would be to dislodge him if his production holds. Ohtani is chasing a fifth career MVP and a fourth straight MVP Award if he keeps up his two-way success. On the mound, he has allowed just five earned runs in 55 innings, posting a 0.82 ERA and striking out 61. At the plate. his recent swing has improved: after resting for two days as a hitter in mid-May. Ohtani enters Tuesday with a .410/.500/.689 slash line over his past 16 contests.
The gap between Ohtani and the rest is visible in the next names. James Wood, Nationals, is second in the NL projection with 66 total vote points and 2 first-place votes. Wood was in a similar position this time last year thanks to a stellar first half in 2025: 24 homers. 12 stolen bases and a .915 OPS into the All-Star break. But he struggled to close the season in 2025, batting .223 with a .660 OPS and striking out 105 times in 62 games. This year, voters see signs he can avoid that downturn. So far. he’s returned to his first-half form and then some: 16 home runs and 10 steals. leading MLB in runs with 53 and ranking third in the NL with a .952 OPS. If he can maintain it over a full season this time. the young star could challenge for NL MVP. and the voting suggests the panel thinks he just might.
Another name trying to pull more voters into the conversation is Ketel Carroll. D-backs. described as an all-around star with strong defense and elite baserunning. Carroll has a .286/.379/.534 slash line in 2026 with seven homers, seven steals and an MLB-high eight triples. He’s been among MLB’s best players since his 2023 Rookie of the Year season. and this is framed as his best season yet. The question voters are asking: is it enough?. The NL note attached to Carroll is that the D-backs are one of three franchises that have never had a player take home MVP honors.
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, lands at 53 total vote points with 1 first-place vote. Schwarber drove the Phillies’ offense in 2025 with 56 homers and 132 runs batted in, and he finished second in NL MVP voting. This season he’s kept going. raising his OPS to .940 from .928 while leading MLB with 22 home runs and putting himself on pace for 62. As a designated hitter with only three appearances in the field this season. it’s not expected to be easy for him to win MVP—but voters say he has enough power to remain a serious candidate.
Matt Olson, Braves, follows with 39 total vote points and 1 first-place vote. The case for Olson is built on consistency. In 2026 he has been the MLB-best Braves player in Baseball-Reference WAR (2.6). He has a .261/.340/.543 slash line with 16 homers, an NL-high 18 doubles and 45 RBIs for a 40-20 Atlanta club. He also owns the longest active consecutive games played streak in MLB, which ranks in the top 10 all time.
Other players receiving votes in the National League included Elly De La Cruz (Reds). Juan Soto (Mets). Andy Pages (Dodgers). Jordan Walker (Cardinals). Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies). Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers). Drake Baldwin (Braves). Bryce Harper (Phillies). Oneil Cruz (Pirates). Paul Skenes (Pirates). CJ Abrams (Nationals). Michael Harris II (Braves). Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs).
2026 MVP poll Yordan Alvarez Aaron Judge Bobby Witt Jr. MLB.com MVP voting Shohei Ohtani National League MVP American League MVP Ben Rice Bryson Kurtz