MVP Poll: A surprise push in the Senior Circuit?

In MLB.com's most recent MVP poll at the start of the second half, there were unanimous favorites in both leagues. Now there is only one.

Shohei Ohtani stands alone. The two-way megastar is the overwhelming favorite to win his second American League MVP Award in the eyes of our expert voters.

Meanwhile, the electric Ronald Acuña Jr. still holds a commanding lead in the National League MVP race -- but the consistently elite Freddie Freeman has started to inch his way into the conversation.

MLB.com's experts were asked to rank their top five AL and NL MVP candidates based on what has happened so far this season and what they expect will happen in the months to come. 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. Forty-eight voters participated in this edition of the poll, the fourth of the season.

Here are the full results. (All stats below are entering this week.)

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1) Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Angels (48 first-place votes)

Who else can pitch a one-hitter in one game of a doubleheader and then blast two home runs in the other game? Nobody else. Ohtani is always one of a kind. He leads the Majors with 40 home runs as a hitter and ranks fifth with 160 strikeouts as a pitcher. If Ohtani blows past 50 homers and 200 K's, we could be watching one of the greatest seasons of all time.

2) Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros

Tucker is growing into more and more of an MVP-type player by the year. His balanced skill set is shining through to the tune of a .295 batting average, 19 homers, 23 stolen bases and an .880 OPS. Tucker jumps all the way to the No. 2 spot after not even receiving votes in the last MVP poll.

3) Adolis García, OF, Rangers

García continues his climb up the rankings, moving from No. 5 in the last MVP poll to No. 3 in this one. That's MVP finalist status. The All-Star outfielder is up to 29 home runs and an American League-leading 89 RBIs on the season for the first-place Rangers.

4) Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers

Texas' next man up is Semien. An AL MVP finalist two years ago with Toronto, Semien is back at it again with a .281 average, 18 homers, 10 steals, 71 RBIs and a league-leading 92 runs scored. With García third, Semien fourth and Corey Seager sixth in the MLB.com expert voting, the Rangers have the most candidates in the AL MVP mix.

5) Luis Robert Jr., OF, White Sox

Robert hangs onto a top-five spot even though he's dropped a little after placing No. 2 in the last MVP poll. He's been an all-around superstar for the White Sox -- Robert has 30 home runs and 14 stolen bases and ranks as one of the best defensive outfielders in MLB with +10 Outs Above Average.

Others receiving votes: Corey Seager, Yandy Díaz, Wander Franco, José Ramírez, Bo Bichette, Adley Rutschman, Rafael Devers, Josh Naylor, Gerrit Cole, Randy Arozarena, Félix Bautista, Masataka Yoshida

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1) Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves (45 first-place votes)

Forty-five out of 48 first-place votes is nothing to sneeze at. Acu?a is still running way ahead of the rest of the field in the NL MVP race, with his Major League-leading 53 stolen bases to go along with 25 home runs and a .343 batting average. Acu?a remains the odds-on favorite to ride a historic power-speed season to his first MVP trophy.

2) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers (3 first-place votes)

If anyone can challenge Acu?a for MVP, it's Freeman, who's stolen a few first-place votes away from his former teammate in the latest MLB.com poll. Freeman's batting .339 with 23 home runs, 65 extra-base hits and a 1.011 OPS as he looks for his second career MVP Award.

3) Mookie Betts, INF/OF, Dodgers

Betts' evolution into the most super of super-utilitymen is powering his best season yet with the Dodgers. No longer just one of the game's best outfielders but also a capable shortstop and second baseman, Betts just reached the 30-homer mark and is on pace to smash over 40 and set a new career high.

4) Matt Olson, 1B, Braves

There are a lot of Braves and Dodgers on this list. Acu?a is the spark at the top of the order for Atlanta; Olson is the anchor in the middle of the lineup. The lefty slugger has an NL-best 39 home runs and leads the Majors with 97 RBIs.

5) Juan Soto, OF, Padres

It's never too surprising to see Soto enter the MVP conversation. The Padres star, who has 24 home runs and a .947 OPS while leading the Majors with 99 walks, moves up into the NL's top five in this poll.

Others receiving votes: Corbin Carroll, Luis Arraez, Ha-Seong Kim, Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Jorge Soler, Nolan Arenado