MVP poll shows two clear frontrunners after All-Star break

For the second straight MVP poll, our results showed clear frontrunners in each league.

Whereas Juan Soto and Mookie Betts led the first two polls, it's now a different Yankee and Dodger who have become overwhelming favorites for MVP. Still, there's enough of a race in each league -- especially in the American League -- that this list could change in a heartbeat.

As usual, MLB.com experts were asked to rank their top five MVP picks in each league, based on what's happened so far and what they expect will happen the rest of the season. Players received vote points 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, with 41 voters participating. Here are the results.

All stats are through Thursday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees (38 first-place votes)
After starting slow and running a .754 OPS through the end of April, Judge has been better than ever since that point, hitting an absurd .357/.479/.815 with 28 home runs since May 1. As a result, Judge currently leads the Majors in home runs (34), OBP (.433), SLG (.479), OPS (1.112) and FanGraphs' version of Wins Above Replacement (6.3). That Judge is the overwhelming favorite is a testament to his impressive production, given the fierce competition he has from three other players putting up MVP-worthy seasons.

2. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles (three first-place votes)
Henderson is a 23-year-old shortstop with 28 home runs, 14 stolen bases, a .956 OPS and the second-highest fWAR (6.1), all while playing for the AL East-leading Orioles. In plenty of other seasons, Henderson would be the overwhelming MVP favorite, but such is life playing in the same league as Judge. Still, Henderson is close enough to Judge's overall performance that he still has a legitimate shot to take home his first MVP award.

3. Juan Soto, OF, Yankees
Soto is one of the top players of his generation enjoying a career-best season (outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season), yet finds himself a distant third in MVP voting. The 25-year-old has dazzled in his first year with the Yankees with a .985 OPS and 175 OPS+, while his 5.5 fWAR puts him on track to blow well past his career-high 6.8 mark set in the '21 season. Soto couldn't have picked a better time for this kind of performance, as he's set to reach free agency for the first time this offseason.

4. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals
If Witt blossomed into a star last season, consider this his emergence as a full-blown superstar. After posting a 117 OPS+ and 5.9 fWAR last year, Witt is up to a 153 OPS+ and 5.7 fWAR this season. Witt's 16 home runs and 22 stolen bases might have him on pace to finish short of his 30 homers and 49 steals last year, but his all-around game has immensely improved. This is one of baseball's most gifted players who is a triple threat on offense, at shortstop (13 Outs Above Average) and on the bases.

5. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox and José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians
Rounding out the top five is a tie between two of baseball's longstanding best third basemen. Devers is enjoying one of his best seasons with a career-high .977 OPS, 166 OPS+, OBP (.378) and SLG (.599) and is a key reason why the Red Sox entered the All-Star break in possession of the third AL Wild Card spot. Ramírez, meanwhile, is producing at a high level as he's always done with an .842 OPS, 23 home runs and 18 steals and is a key cog for the first-place Guardians.

Others receiving votes: Steven Kwan, Guardians; Jarren Duran, Red Sox; Tarik Skubal, Tigers; Carlos Correa, Twins

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers (35 first-place votes)
Much like Judge in the American League, Ohtani is the clear favorite in the Senior Circuit. Despite not throwing a single pitch this year, Ohtani has more than made his MVP case as a dominant force as the Dodgers' designated hitter. Ohtani has essentially continued where he left off in last year's AL MVP-winning season for the Angels -- the slugger had a 1.066 OPS and 184 OPS+ for the Angels last year and has a 1.036 OPS and 189 OPS+ for the Dodgers in '24.

2. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies (five first-place votes)
Harper has roughly matched his production from his 2021 MVP-winning season with the Phillies and is just one of many excellent players on baseball's top team. In his first full season as a first baseman, Harper is running a .983 OPS and 174 OPS+ and has crushed 21 home runs. It's worth noting that Harper hasn't finished top 10 in MVP voting outside of winning the award in 2015 and '21, something that seems likely to change this year if he doesn't win the award.

3. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds (one first-place vote)
De La Cruz is one of the most electric and exciting players in baseball history and has turned those incredible tools into a big season for the Reds. The 22-year-old shortstop has an .830 OPS, 17 home runs, 46 stolen bases and 4.4 fWAR, which only trails Judge, Henderson, Witt, Soto and Ohtani. De La Cruz is on pace for 7.4 WAR and an outlandish 28 homers and 77 steals.

4. Marcell Ozuna, DH, Braves
Ozuna has picked up the slack for a Braves offense that is missing Ronald Acu?a Jr. but has also seen declines from hitters like Matt Olson and Austin Riley. Ozuna has crushed the fourth-most homers (26), ranks sixth in the Majors with a .960 OPS and has a healthy .581 SLG.

5. Christian Yelich, OF, Brewers
After it looked like Yelich was phasing out of his peak years from 2020-22, he has seemingly turned the clock back the last few years, especially this season. Yelich is hitting .326/.412/.521 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases and is a top 20 position player by fWAR (3.2). Along with William Contreras, Willy Adames and many other Brewers hitters, Yelich has helped lead Milwaukee's strong offensive season.

Others receiving votes: Ketel Marte, D-backs; Francisco Lindor, Mets; Freddie Freeman, Dodgers; Jurickson Profar, Padres; Mookie Betts, Dodgers; Luis Arraez, Padres; Chris Sale, Braves; Brandon Nimmo, Mets; Will Smith, Dodgers; Alec Bohm, Phillies; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres; Trea Turner, Phillies; Brice Turang, Brewers