As with our first Cy Young poll last week, the first MLB.com MVP poll of the season shows some expected names at the top, but also some pleasant surprises farther down the list.
Though one of the races is much closer than the other, there have been enough strong offensive performances so far in both leagues to say with confidence that these early results are not set in stone.
A total of 40 MLB.com experts participated in the survey, with 40 different players receiving at least one vote in the balloting. As always, the votes are based on how the season is expected to play out and not simply on the results of the season so far.
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.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees (19 first-place votes)
It's no surprise whatsoever to find the two-time defending (and three-time overall) AL MVP atop this list. Judge entered Monday tied for the MLB lead in homers (13), tied for the AL lead in runs (30), and third in the AL in OPS (1.031). He also leads all AL position players with 2.1 bWAR. And he's not really gotten hot yet -- which means we could see another runaway before long. But while Judge still remains the favorite here, the race is pretty close in the early going, thanks to a certain Houston slugger who's making lots of noise.
2. Yordan Alvarez, Astros (19)
Alvarez has been a monster over the first month-plus. And after a 2025 season plagued by injury, this has been a welcome sight for the Astros and their fans. Alvarez entered Monday with 12 homers and a 1.097 OPS, the second-highest mark in baseball. He also led all AL hitters with 88 total bases and his 21 extra-base hits were tied for most in the league through Sunday, as were his 27 RBIs. He's been the rare hitter who's really good at everything, and he was just named AL Player of the Month.
3. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (2)
You won't find Witt's name among the league leaders in almost any major category right now apart from stolen bases (his 10 rank fourth in the AL). But this is why voters are asked to make picks in large part based on how things are expected to play out the rest of the season. Witt was slashing .281/.357/.407 through Sunday -- good, not great -- but he's hit .301 with an .881 OPS over his past three seasons and, thanks also to his elite defense, has averaged 7.0 bWAR per season. It's only a matter of time for Witt.
4. Ben Rice, Yankees
With much respect to Alvarez, the biggest competition for Judge at the top of this list could end up coming from teammate Rice, who has broken out in a huge way in 2026. The lefty-swinging Rice entered Monday leading the AL with a .343 average and leading all MLB hitters with a 1.214 OPS. He also had 12 homers, 27 RBIs and was tied with Alvarez atop the AL with 21 extra-base hits through Sunday. He's also a big reason why the Yankees are off to a 23-11 start.
5. Mike Trout, Angels
Seeing Trout's name on this list just feels right, even if it's been a while for the three-time AL MVP. But this season, he's looked a lot like the Mike Trout of old. His 10 homers are tied for fifth-most in the AL, while his .433 on-base percentage ranks second. Meanwhile, his .983 OPS through Sunday would be his highest since 2022. It just shows that a healthy Trout can still be a major game-changer whenever he's on the field.
Others receiving votes: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), Shea Langeliers (A's), Munetaka Murakami (White Sox), José Ramírez (Guardians), Junior Caminero (Rays), Nick Kurtz (A's), Julio Rodríguez (Mariners), Yandy Díaz (Rays), Byron Buxton (Twins), Tarik Skubal (Tigers)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (28 first-place votes)
Who else did you expect to see here? It seems safe to say that as long as Ohtani is elite at either hitting or pitching, he will continue to be the MVP favorite in the NL. One could even argue that if he remains simply league average at both that he'd be a strong MVP candidate, but that's a discussion for another day. On this day, Ohtani is running away with the prize on the strength of a 0.60 ERA as a pitcher and an .825 OPS as a hitter. Though he doesn't have enough innings to qualify for the ERA lead, let's not act like he's been anything but crazy-impressive on the mound (he's the NL Pitcher of the Month for March/April). And though his offensive numbers don't lead the league, let's also not pretend that it's normal for any pitcher other than him to warrant a lineup spot because he's such a major offensive threat. Like it or not, fair or not, when you do both things at the level of Ohtani, you're the easy MVP favorite.
2. Elly De La Cruz, Reds (7)
With his speed and power, De La Cruz has profiled as a potential MVP candidate since he entered the league in 2023, but he's not had everything consistently click at once until now. He entered Monday with 10 homers (tied for second-most in the NL) and eight stolen bases (fifth-most in the NL). He's also getting on base at a .349 clip, which would easily be the highest rate of his career. Meanwhile, his 16 extra-base hits through Sunday ranked fourth in the NL and his 72 total bases ranked fifth.
3. Matt Olson, Braves (3)
Olson has had about as strong of a start to 2026 as he could've hoped. He entered Monday leading all MLB hitters in doubles (15), extra-base hits (26), RBIs (31), total bases (89) and bWAR (2.3), while tied for the NL lead in homers (11) and ranking second in OPS (1.030). It's been very reminiscent of his 2023 season, when he led baseball with 54 homers and 139 RBIs. Olson's steady offense this season has been a major factor in the Braves (25-10 entering Monday) jumping out to their best 35-game start since 1900.
4. Corbin Carroll, D-backs
Carroll finished fifth in MVP voting after his 2023 NL Rookie of the Year campaign and finished sixth last season. He's back in the mix this season because he remains a significant offensive threat for the D-backs. Like De La Cruz, Carroll brings a potent combination of slug and speed, which makes him a game-changer. He leads the Majors in triples (four), which is no surprise, as he's led either the NL or all of baseball in that category every season since his rookie year.
5. Nico Hoerner, Cubs
Hoerner's one of those players whose traditional stats don't scream "MVP," but the infielder has certainly been of tremendous value to the Cubs as one of the most well-rounded but underrated players in the game. The two-time Gold Glove winner received MVP votes last season (he finished 19th in the voting) when he was worth 6.2 bWAR. He's on track for that kind of value again this season, with a .301/.375/.466 slash line entering Monday, along with seven Outs Above Average, which ranks fourth among all position players.
Others receiving votes: Juan Soto (Mets), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies), Drake Baldwin (Braves), Brice Turang (Brewers), Ildemaro Vargas (D-backs), Jordan Walker (Cardinals), Oneil Cruz (Pirates), Max Muncy (Dodgers), James Wood (Nationals), Mason Miller (Padres), CJ Abrams (Nationals), Michael Harris II (Braves), Bryce Harper (Phillies), Sal Stewart (Reds), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Ozzie Albies (Braves), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals), Mickey Moniak (Rockies), Paul Skenes (Pirates)