2026 MLB MVP watch: Top contenders chasing Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani

It’s never too early to take a look at the MLB MVP race in both the American and National Leagues. Contenders for baseball’s most prestigious awards change regularly, and through the first month-plus of the 2026 season, a few players are standing out more than others.

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re keeping an eye on all of the top teams and performers across the league. As such, we’ve compiled our five MVP frontrunners in each league, and we can tell you each league features an intriguing mix of established superstars and fresh faces.

Top 2026 American League MVP contenders

Here’s a look at the top early American League MVP candidates, from established stars putting up monster numbers to breakout players forcing their way into the conversation.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Look, Judge has a strong case as the best pure hitter in baseball. He’s slashing .272/.409/.648 with a 1.057 OPS and is tied for the league lead in home runs with 14 to go along with 27 RBIs. The Yankees are also in first place in the AL East with a record of 24-11, which is easily tops in the American League, and while New York’s pitching is elite, Judge is an every day force making life miserable for opposing arms once again. 

Judge is on pace right now to hit 50+ home runs for the fifth year in his career, fourth time in five years and third year in a row. It’s easy to get lost in his greatness, but don’t – he’s on track to put together another all-time season for the Bronx Bombers. Will that be enough to get Judge his first World Series ring?

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

Two things are working against Alvarez and being the frontrunner for MVP. First, Judge exists and is healthy. And second, the Astros are eight games under .500. We’ve seen voters buck trends before and give the MVP award to players on teams that miss the postseason, but it’s not a very common occurrence. 

Alvarez is certainly worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Judge right now. Alvarez is slashing .333/.438/.667 (1.105 OPS) with 12 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. Somehow, Alvarez is an underrated bat despite being one of the more complete and all-around hitters that MLB has to offer. And while it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to flex those talents in October given how the Astros have started off the 2026 season, it sure isn’t Alvarez’s fault. 

Shea Langeliers, Athletics

Even with the Athletics not having been in the playoff conversation for a few years now, Langeliers has flown under the radar in comparison to the team’s other big bats like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler. Langeliers has also been overshadowed in his own division with Cal Raleigh as Langeliers has quietly been one of the best slugging catchers in baseball with 82 home runs over the last three years. 

The A’s backstop has taken his game to another level this year, though, owning a .336/.390/.627 (1.017 OPS) line along with 10 more homers. The A’s are off to a 18-16 record and are first in the AL West as the only team above .500. Langeliers is maybe the biggest reason why. Having a monster season for a winning team while playing the toughest position in baseball is an easy way to stay in the MVP conversation – especially for a franchise that’s been down and out for the last five seasons.

Ben Rice, New York Yankees

The Yankees certainly aren’t hurting for standout players this year. Judge is the clear favorite for MVP, but Rice has been tremendous in his own right. The former catcher is slashing an absurd .343/.455/.759 (1.214 OPS) with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and 30 runs scored. Judge is the biggest threat and factor that New York has in its lineup, but Rice would be the top dog in most other lineups across the league given how he has begun the season. 

Playing in the same lineup as Judge – assuming he stays healthy – will put more of a damper on Rice’s MVP candidacy than anything, but it’s hard not to view him as one of the best hitters and players in the American League right now. 

Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox

Honestly, it was hard to pick a fifth player here, but it’s hard to ignore what the White Sox rookie Murakami is doing in his first month-plus in MLB. The questions with Murakami were never whether he had enough power to hit the ball out of the ballpark, it was whether he could make enough contact against tougher pitching to keep up. 

Well, Murakami has been more than fine there. He’ll never hit for a high average (.240 after Monday), but Murakami has 14 home runs and 28 RBIs with an OPS of .961. He actually doesn’t have an extra-base hit that’s not a home run. The Kyle Schwarber comps have been pretty spot on so far.

As noted with Alvarez, it’s not easy for players on bad teams to win MVP. A great year from a player on a losing team can net them some high-end MVP votes, though, and a top-10 MVP finish in your rookie year is not a bad way to kick off your MLB career.

Honorable mentions

Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels), Jose Soriano (Los Angeles Angels), Kevin McGonigile (Detroit Tigers), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), Cam Schlittler (New York Yankees)

Top 2026 National League MVP contenders

The National League race is already taking shape, with a mix of MVP mainstays, emerging stars and unexpected breakouts making their mark early in the season.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ohtani has won two straight NL MVPs since joining the Dodgers, and there’s no reason to think he won’t win his fifth overall MVP this year. What’s interesting is that Ohtani is actually off to a disappointing start to the year by his lofty standards with a .240/.382/.432 slash line, .814 OPS and six home runs and 14 RBIs. It’s a good, not great start to the year, but along with expecting Ohtani to go nuclear at the dish at any point, he’s been unreal on the mound. Through five starts, Ohtani has a dazzling 0.60 ERA, 0.867 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate. 

Ohtani’s MVP candidacy is always interesting when he’s just hitting, but when he’s pitching at this level, we may very well see him mess around and win MVP and the NL Cy Young. We’re witnessing greatness – don’t take that for granted. 

Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves

The Braves are maybe the best story in baseball this year. After finishing under .500 in a surprisingly poor showing in 2025, Atlanta has the most wins in baseball right now and is elite on the mound and at the plate. The biggest driving force for the Braves offensively right now is Olson, who appears to be regaining his 2023 form when he swatted 51 home runs. 

Olson is on fire at the plate right now with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs as an anchor in Atlanta’s lineup. The lefty slugger is also putting together his best all-around offensive season to date with a .300/.383/.664 (1.047 OPS) slash line. He’s been the best player in baseball’s best lineup – that matters a lot when it comes to MVP talks.

Olson’s performance is also incredibly important because yes, while the Braves have gotten awesome contributions from Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies, former MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. is struggling at the plate, as is former MVP contender Austin Riley. 

Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds

The NL Central is shaping up to be a bloodbath given every single team is over .500. That includes the Reds, who are coming off a surprising postseason appearance last year and are 20-15 this season. Cincy has a lot going its way so far with some young arms emerging as stars and a few of its young hitters really stepping up at the plate. No one is more important for the Reds than De La Cruz, however, and he’s starting to really put it all together. 

De La Cruz has always had talent oozing, but he’s been inconsistent and streaky at times while always appearing to be on the verge of superstardom. It looks like he’s really clicking at the plate, though, as his .285/.364/.547 (.911 OPS) slash line would be career highs across the board. He’s also swatted 10 home runs with 25 RBIs. 

What’s also worth noting with De La Cruz’s MVP candidacy is that while the Reds have a number of big names in the lineup, they rank in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Getting off to this kind of a start is thanks in large part to De La Cruz, who is keeping the lineup afloat as some important bats look to get going and catch up to how good the team’s pitching has been so far. 

Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals

It was only 2023 when Walker debuted at just 20 years old after quickly emerging as one of baseball’s top prospects. While his rookie season was pretty good – a .787 OPS with 16 homers in 117 games – Walker struggled mightily each of the last two years. Despite being just 23 years old, Walker was viewed by many as entering a make-or-break season. Well, he’s certainly making the most of his opportunities in 2026.

Walker is slashing .308/.377/.585 (.962 OPS) with 10 homers and 27 RBIs as he is really putting it all together as the Cardinals’ best bat. And speaking of the Cards, they’re 21-14 as one of MLB’s best early surprises, and Walker has been their best player. Little has gone right for St. Louis the last few years, and whether or not the team stays in the playoff picture all year long, getting Walker to live up to his considerable hype would be a major win heading into next year.

Ildemaro Vargas, Arizona Diamondbacks

Vargas is the best hitter in baseball you likely don’t know unless you’re a Diamondbacks fan. Now in his 10th year and in his third stint with the Diamondbacks, Vargas is putting up some video game numbers for Arizona. How does a .382/.406/.657 (1.063 OPS) line look? How about having at least one hit in all but one game played this year? How about six home runs (already a career high) and 21 RBIs in just 26/27 games?

It’s always fun when an older player breaks out after spending a lot of time in MLB as a journeyman, but what Vargas is doing is just unbelievable. The Diamondbacks have cooled off a bit after a good start, but don’t fault Vargas, who is a hitting and on-base machine that no one saw coming this year. 

Honorable mentions

James Wood (Washington Nationals), Sal Stewart (Cincinnati Reds), Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia Phillies), Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers), Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves)