Here are the latest leaders in MVP polling
Three weeks since our first MVP Award poll of the 2022 season, the American League race has remained fairly static, but there have been big changes to the National League field, with a new leader among the four new players in the top five.
Once again, voters were asked to rank their top five MVP candidates in each league based on what has happened so far 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, with 59 voters participating. Here are the results. (All stats are through Tuesday. All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1. Mike Trout, OF, Angels (27 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 4.25-1
Trout received a smaller share of the first-place votes than he did in our first MVP poll, but he still holds the top spot after another strong month. The three-time AL MVP produced 15 extra-base hits -- including eight homers -- and 18 RBIs with a .972 OPS over 27 games in May, though the Halos slipped a bit in the standings after completing April in first place.
2. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees (20 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 3.3-1?
Judge is the best player on the team with the best record in MLB, so it¡¯s no surprise he received plenty of support from our voters. The outfielder leads the Majors with 18 homers and a .657 slugging percentage, and he went deep 12 times in May. Judge, who is eligible for free agency at the end of this season, previously finished second in the AL MVP race in 2017 and fourth last year.
3. Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez, 3B, Guardians (7 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 12-1?
If Ram¨ªrez holds this spot through the end of the season, it would be the fourth top-three AL MVP finish of his career. The switch-hitting third baseman has more RBIs (51) than any other player so far in 2022 and is leading the AL with a 200 OPS+. Amazingly, he¡¯s struck out just 15 times with 28 walks in 197 plate appearances.
4. Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels (5 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 2.1-1?
The Halos' two-way superstar has started to pick it up on the offensive end, producing seven homers, 20 RBIs and a .918 OPS in his past 24 games, and he¡¯s coming off a month in which he posted a 2.88 ERA and a 33-to-5 K/BB ratio in 25 innings on the mound. As long as he stays healthy, the reigning AL MVP is unlikely to fall out of this year¡¯s race.
5. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
MVP odds: 20-1
Trevor Story will get a lot of credit for Boston¡¯s offensive resurgence in May, but Devers remains the team¡¯s most important hitter. The third baseman hit .381 with eight homers and a 1.133 OPS last month, and he leads MLB with 127 total bases.
Others receiving votes: Yordan Alvarez, Tim Anderson, J.D. Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Taylor Ward, Ty France, Kevin Gausman, Xander Bogaerts, Byron Buxton, Alek Manoah, George Springer, Justin Verlander, Liam Hendriks, Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez, Shane McClanahan, Trevor Story, Wander Franco
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1. Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers (27 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 3.1-1?
After tallying the 10th-most vote points in the NL in our last MVP poll, Betts has jumped to the front of the line. The outfielder was virtually unstoppable in May, hitting .342/.411/.746 with 27 RBIs and 31 runs scored in 28 games while setting a personal career best for homers in a calendar month with 12. If Betts wins the NL MVP this year, he¡¯d join Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to earn MVP honors in both leagues, having previously won the AL MVP in 2018.
2. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres (20 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 2.9-1?
The NL leader in our first MVP poll of the season, Machado finished slightly behind Betts this time around after hitting only one homer in his final 21 games of May. Machado still leads all players in both FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference wins above replacement, though, and he owns a .347/.426/.563 slash line on the season to go with his plus defense at third base. With Machado¡¯s help, San Diego has played at a 99-win pace in 2022 despite getting zero games from shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals (6 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 6.5-1?
Goldschmidt has mashed his way into the NL MVP conversation with an ongoing 22-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 39-for-89 (.438) with nine homers, 13 doubles, 32 RBIs and a 1.367 OPS. The first baseman now leads the NL in hits (64), total bases (114), batting average (.352), slugging percentage (.626) and OPS (1.049).
4. Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets (4 first-place votes)
MVP odds: 12-1?
A year after placing 27th in runs per game (3.93), the Mets are scoring runs at the second-highest clip (5.22) in the big leagues this season, and they have a 10 1/2-game lead in the NL East, tied for the third-largest division lead entering June in the divisional era (since 1969). Alonso has been at the center of it all, leading the team with 13 homers and the NL with 47 RBIs while posting an .894 OPS. Alonso and shortstop Francisco Lindor, who finished with the sixth-most vote points in the NL, have started every game this season.
5. Bryce Harper, OF, Phillies
MVP odds: 9.5-1?
The reigning NL MVP has been relegated to designated-hitter duty due to a torn UCL in his right elbow, but it hasn¡¯t affected his offense in the slightest. Though his team has struggled, Harper is hitting .303 with 10 homers, 32 RBIs, six steals and a .943 OPS in 45 games.
Others receiving votes: Francisco Lindor, Nolan Arenado, Freddie Freeman, Josh Hader (1 first-place vote), Juan Soto (1 first-place vote), C.J. Cron, Tommy Edman, Trea Turner, Joe Musgrove, Sandy Alcantara, Corbin Burnes, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Josh Bell, Matt Olson, Pablo L¨®pez, Willson Contreras