Latest Rookie of the Year poll features a TIE atop the National League

4:14 AM UTC

With less than two months left in the regular season, how tight are the Rookie of the Year Award races?

Well, according to the votes cast by our MLB.com experts, the National League race can't possibly get any tighter. That's because there's a two-man tie at the top.

Matters in the American League are much clearer as the rookie who has been in the lead there since June seems to be strengthening his position.

Thirty MLB.com experts based their ROY picks not only on the results to date, but how they think the rest of the season will unfold.

Voters ranked their top five picks in each league on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results.

All stats updated through Monday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. , Tigers (170 total vote points, 24 first-place votes)

With Tarik Skubal now wearing Dodger blue, a new era of Detroit baseball is dawning. The 21-year-old McGonigle looks like the face of it. He undoubtedly will be if he keeps producing like he has through his first 108 career games. With more walks than strikeouts, McGonigle's plate approach belies his youth. He is tied with James Wood with a .393 on-base percentage. His 136 wRC+ is tied with Mike Trout and Byron Buxton, and his 4.5 FanGraphs WAR ranks sixth among position players. McGonigle's point total in these monthly polls has increased from 120 in June to 123 in July to 170 now.

2. , White Sox (138 total vote points, 11 first-place votes)

Murakami was crushing the ball before he landed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. After about six weeks on the shelf, he returned on July 10 -- and continued crushing. The lefty slugger has gone deep four times and recorded an .883 OPS in 19 games since his activation. No qualified rookie has more long balls (24) or a better OPS (.921) this year. Expect Murakami's bat to make a lot more loud noises over the duration of the season; no qualified hitter has a higher hard-hit rate (59.5%).

3. , Guardians (120 total vote points, 2 first-place votes)

Opposing batters know they are going to get a hefty dose of four-seam fastballs when they face Messick. But they can't hit it. That pitch has produced a .161 average, a .233 slugging percentage and a 34.3% strikeout rate. According to Statcast's pitching run value metric, Messick's heater is the second-most valuable pitch in MLB, just behind Jacob Misiorowski's four-seamer. It's been integral to the southpaw's success through 22 starts. He has the seventh-best ERA among qualified hurlers (2.57).

4. , Blue Jays (40 total vote points, 1 first-place vote)

Okamoto, like countryman Murakami, is in a tie atop the rookie home run leaderboard with 24 dingers, although he has left the yard just twice in his past 19 games. He has been, by far, the Blue Jays' best run producer and leads AL rookies in RBIs (69) and total bases (180). Okamoto's 39 extra-base hits are one behind the Royals' Carter Jensen for the junior circuit rookie lead.

5. , Red Sox (31 total vote points)

Tolle hasn't thrown quite enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, but if he had, his strikeout-minus-walk rate (19.5%) would sit 19th in the Majors, right between Nathan Eovaldi and Bryan Woo. Over his past five starts, the Red Sox left-hander has struck out 36 batters across 26 2/3 innings and has issued only six walks. Tolle's 3.30 ERA in 101 frames is certainly solid, but because of his ability to get K's, limit walks and induce a decent amount of soft contact, his expected ERA is even better (2.98).

Others receiving votes: Chase DeLauter (Guardians), Travis Bazzana (Guardians), Tristan Peters (White Sox), Samuel Basallo (Orioles), Jake Bennett (Red Sox), Carter Jensen (Royals), Sam Antonacci (White Sox), Walbert Ureña (Angels), Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1-T. , Cardinals (144 total vote points, 19 first-place votes)
1-T. , Reds (144 total vote points, 17 first-place votes)

Look at that -- 144 to 144. Wetherholt gets top billing because of his edge in first-place votes, but after placing second in this poll in each of the past two months, Stewart has knotted things up thanks to a strong July (seven home runs, .510 slugging percentage). He leads all NL rookies -- and is up among the MLB leaders -- in several offensive categories, including RBIs (85, tied for first) homers (24, tied for sixth), and extra-base hits (47, 12th).

Wetherholt's 16 dingers are the second-most among NL rookies, but he does much more than slug. He sits in the 95th percentile of MLB in baserunning run value (+4), and he has the Majors' second-highest fielding run value (+18). Wetherholt's all-around game has made him one of just 11 position players with at least 4.0 fWAR. So even while he slumped at the plate in July (.675), the 23-year-old still provided plenty of value.

3. , Mets (100 total vote points)

After some bumpy outings in May and June, McLean was brilliant in July, allowing a total of six earned runs in his five starts. He lasted at least six innings each time out and recorded 35 strikeouts next to nine walks. McLean, who owns a 3.29 ERA in 22 starts, ranks fifth in the bigs with 148 strikeouts. A healthy amount of those K's have come on his fantastic sinker. Opposing hitters have a .176 average and a .261 slugging percentage through 210 plate appearances ending on that two-seamer this season.

4. , Rockies (57 total vote points)

There was a 33-game stretch from June 10 through July 18 when Rumfield was one of the big leagues' hottest hitters. He slashed .372/.453/.620 in 139 plate appearances. He hit six homers during that span, the last of which traveled a Statcast-projected 456 feet. Even though he hasn't been quite as productive of late, Rumfield is pacing all qualified NL rookies with his .296 average, .376 OBP and .841 OPS.

5. , Guardians (50 total vote points)

Well, this is awkward.

Many of our experts cast their ballots before Monday's Trade Deadline, when Griffin was dealt from the Nationals to the Guardians. Although he will end up spending only four months in the NL, Griffin could still receive some decent down-ballot support for Rookie of the Year after the season. The All-Star left-hander ranks seventh or better among qualified senior circuit pitchers in ERA (3.06), WHIP (1.07), innings pitched (129 1/3) and walks-per-nine rate (2.09).

Others receiving votes: Esmerlyn Valdez (Pirates), Carson Benge (Mets), A.J. Ewing (Mets), Joe Mack (Marlins), Konnor Griffin (Pirates), Cole Carrigg (Rockies), Bryce Eldridge (Giants), Logan Henderson (Brewers), Owen Caissie (Marlins)