Every baseball fan loves a great award race. If you're looking for that in 2024, the chase for NL and AL MVP doesn’t look like they're going to produce much drama. Two superstar sluggers have soared to the top of their respective leagues and need a collapse of epic proportions to miss out on MLB's highest individual honor.
That is more of a testament to how good the leading candidates are rather than a knock on those trying to spoil the party. Several players in both leagues are pushing to challenge for league MVP honors with about six weeks left in the season. There's no guarantee the favorites are seriously challenged, but the field won’t make the final stretch of the year a walk in the park.
As teams jockey for position in the standings in hopes of claiming a playoff berth, their stars are trying to close the season with a bang. It's not about how you start, but rather how you finish. A strong finish for these MLB MVP Award contenders might lead to hardware in the fall.
National League
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Although his numbers in the second half are nowhere near his career totals, Shohei Ohtani is putting together another MVP campaign in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite a .220 batting average since the All-Star break, Ohtani leads the National League in OPS (1.008), slugging percentage (.623), runs scored (90), and home runs (37).
His average fell below .300 last Sunday for the first time since the second week of April but Ohtani's last three hits all went for extra bases. That includes two 400-plus foot home runs he launched in Milwaukee this week.
Ohtani is chasing all sorts of history as he tries to become the first primary designated hitter to record a 40-40 season. He's three home runs and seven steals shy of joining five other MLB players in that group. He would also join Frank Robinson as the only player to win MVP in both leagues if he took home the National League honors in 2024.
2. Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
Few players in the NL put up the numbers Ketel Marte did over the last month as he makes his case for MVP. The catalyst of Arizona's lineup, Marte's surge since the All-Star break has coincided with the Diamondbacks' run to the top of the Wild Card standings.
Marte is hitting .324 with 11 home runs in 22 games since July 19. A hot four-week stretch for the D-backs second baseman isn’t the only reason he's second in our NL MVP Award Power Rankings. Marte has a 1.077 OPS and 190 wRC+ since the start of June. He earned his second MLB All-Star nod for his efforts and should be a finalist for MVP.
3. Bryce Harper, Phillies
After reeling for much of July, Bryce Harper is finally finding his groove again with the Phillies limping toward the playoffs. The two-time MVP has an .898 OPS with five extra-base hits in 11 August games.
Harper is fourth in the National League in OPS and slugging percentage and is sixth in on-base percentage with 26 home runs and 72 RBIs. He will probably reach 30 homers for the fifth time in his MLB career and is the favorite to win the NL Silver Slugger Award in his first season as a first baseman.
4. Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Elly De La Cruz possesses one of the best power-speed combos in the league. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop has 21 home runs and an MLB-leading 59 steals with an .842 OPS and 78 runs. He'll be the first Red in 54 years to lead the league in stolen bases.
De La Cruz is also playing spectacular defense and trying to keep Cincy afloat in the NL Wild Card race. The Reds are 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot after winning three straight. This probably won’t be the last time De Le Cruz leads a late-season charge for MVP.
5. Francisco Lindor, Mets
What a difference a few months make. Francisco Lindor was hitting .229 with a .700 OPS entering June. He has an .881 OPS since with 17 doubles, 13 home runs and 16 steals. Many believe that Lindor was snubbed from the All-Star Game, but the New York Mets shortstop is on the verge of his highest-ever MVP finish in the wake of missing the Midsummer Classic.
Lindor is the engine that motors New York's offense and is among MLB's best leadoff hitters with an .884 OPS atop the lineup. The Mets likely wouldn’t be in the NL Wild Card picture without him. Although they've lost four in a row, Lindor has 12 hits in the last seven games.
American League
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
We are witnessing some pretty unbelievable stuff from Aaron Judge in 2024. The New York Yankees superstar leads MLB in home runs (42), RBIs (107), walks (101), and OPS (1.165), along with on-base percentage and slugging. He hasn’t had a month with an OPS below 1.100 since April.
Judge should get to 50 home runs for the third time in his career. He'd become the seventh player with multiple 50-homer seasons in a three-year span after his AL-record 62 in 2022. Alex Rodriguez was the last to hit 50 twice in three years, in 2001 & 2002.
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Is there a player more fun to watch right now than Bobby Witt Jr.? The All-Star shortstop is having a monster season and will give Aaron Judge a run for his money if Witt continues his torrid stretch. Witt has an eye-popping 1.313 OPS with 17 extra-base hits in 23 games since the break.
Witt leads MLB in batting average and hits. If he wins the AL batting title, he'd be the first Royals player to do so since George Brett in 1990. He'll be the first in nine years to finish top three in MVP voting.
3. Juan Soto, Yankees
Juan Soto's latest antics have put his teammates in awe. The Yankees All-Star recorded his first three-home run game Tuesday night, clubbing three longballs on the South Side of Chicago. Soto's incredible game led to Aaron Judge bestowing a bold claim on his teammate.
“That’s who he is. That’s why he’s the greatest hitter in the game,” Judge said, per Bryan Hoch.
Soto has a 1.121 OPS and 26 extra-base hits since July. He trails only Judge for the MLB lead in OPS and on-base percentage while hitting .306 with 33 home runs and 100 runs.
4. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
Gunnar Henderson's odds to win the AL MVP Award are higher than Soto's, but the latter's recent performances put him ahead of the Baltimore Orioles shortstop. Still, Henderson is on track to end an eight-year drought of a Baltimore player finishing in the top five of MVP voting.
Henderson is hitting .287 with a .919 OPS, adding 29 home runs, 23 doubles and 94 runs. The 23-year-old struggled last week but had a pair of three-hit games over the weekend. He is emerging as the face of this spectacular core the Orioles built as they fight for another AL East Division crown.
5. Jose Ramirez, Guardians
Jose Ramirez might be the best active MLB veteran without an MVP Award. He is among the most underappreciated stars in the league and is having another world-class season at the hot corner for the first-place Cleveland Guardians.
Ramirez has 31 home runs, 27 doubles, 26 stolen bases and an .879 OPS. He's four steals shy of becoming the first player in Cleveland's franchise history to have multiple 30 homer-30 steal seasons. That alone is worthy of some MVP consideration, but Ramirez is also about to log his third season with 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored. He is a rare breed of player and a joy to watch.
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