Let’s see who’s leading the way in the MVP race in both the American League and the National League.

Aaron Judge in the middle, a silhouette of a baseball hitter on both sides of him, question marks in the background. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani

The month of May always seems like it flies by in the MLB. We spend all of April overanalyzing every little thing that happens across the league and then half of the time the results in May flip all of our thoughts on their heads. And while there may be jockeying up and down the standings, many of the game’s best players have held strong atop the newest edition of our MVP power rankings.

These rankings are based strictly on how the voting would go if the season ended today and not projecting out over the course of 162 games. With that being said, of course there are valid arguments to be made for certain players to be on and off the list based on the trajectories of their seasons and where they may be headed. It’s all a bit jumbled right now and that’s only going to make watching baseball more fun as the season progresses.

So let us not delay any further, because there’s sure to be a spicy debate. Here are your MVP power rankings for the 2024 MLB season through the month of May:

National League

5. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Cincinnati Reds

There are many deserving candidates for the fifth spot in the National League, which is by far the weaker of the two sides of the bracket right now. Matt Chapman has been coming on like crazy as of late for the San Francisco Giants, doing it on both sides of the ball. Ketel Marte is doing everything he can to keep the Arizona Diamondbacks afloat. You could even make a case for Shota Imanaga, though pitchers may never win MVPs again in the modern era.

Then, you look across the stat sheet and see the 32 next to Elly De La Cruz’s name in the stolen bases column and remember that even if the 22-year-old is still struggling to show consistency as a major league hitter, he possesses an athletic toolkit few others have ever been able to dream of. He’s got a chance to challenge for 80, perhaps even 90 swipes as the year rolls along and he has highlight reel exit velocities and arm strength. He warrants consideration now, but he has the potential to move much, much higher up this list in the future.

4. Marcell Ozuna, DH, Atlanta Braves

This was difficult, because Marcell Ozuna almost certainly can’t win MVP as a non-Shohei Ohtani designated hitter. He doesn’t bring any value as a baserunner and unless he separates himself as the best hitter by a super wide margin, voters will be reluctant to give him the nod–especially given his checkered past. But he’s been incredible this season, and the Atlanta Braves would be in a much worse spot without his heroics, meaning he deserves recognition in the May power rankings.

There’s hardly a category in which Ozuna doesn’t rank top ten at a minimum when it comes to hitting the ball. He’s fourth in OPS, fourth in home runs, second in RBIs, third in slugging percentage, and seventh in total bases. And in a season where Atlanta has lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to another ACL tear and dealt with injuries and struggles from basically every other top contributor, Ozuna has been an aircraft carrier. If they manage to climb back in the NL East division race, it will be largely Ozuna’s doing.

3. William Contreras, C, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) watches his two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Fenway Park.Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

We don’t fully appreciate just how ingenious it was for the Milwaukee Brewers to get in on the deal that sent Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics to the Braves. Clearly, they saw what William Contreras had done at the plate in 2022, thought they could turn him into a better all-around catcher, and realized Atlanta would be willing to dump him for little cost when they decided to acquire Murphy. Now, even while Murphy remains excellent, Contreras looks like the one that got away.

Contreras is fifth in MLB in batting average, sixth in RBIs and 15th in bWAR. He’s legitimately the best hitter on a first place Brewers team, and there’s no other catcher on a decent team right now that can say that with confidence. And at the still-young age of 26, he’s able to handle the full-time workload behind the plate, unlike the other best-hitting catcher this season, Salvador Perez, who has caught just 35 games compared to Contreras’ 46.

2. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers

What is there left to say about Ohtani at this point? First we were incredulous that he could both pitch and hit at a major league level. Then we were beside ourselves when he proved to be one of the very best at both. Now, he’s out to win a triple crown in a season where health won’t permit him to throw a pitch, and not a soul among us believes he can’t get the job done.

If there’s going to be one hurdle for Ohtani to win a triple crown, it’s likely batting average, where he’s recently been eclipsed by both his teammate Mookie Betts and new division rival Luis Arraez. It’s hard to have 50-homer pop and still bat above .300 in today’s MLB.

But Ohtani is now proving, for the second year in a row, that a .300 average and 1.000 OPS are his new benchmarks. Think pieces are being written about whether he should never pitch again (reminder: he has a career 11.4 K/9 and finished fourth in 2022 Cy Young voting) and it’s because he just may be the best hitter in the world.

1. Mookie Betts, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

The fact that Mookie Betts, at age 31, can even play something resembling quality defense at shortstop after not playing the position for 13 years is truly astounding. Just maintaining something near his career averages as a hitter while making such a demanding defensive transition would be enough to merit MVP consideration. But Betts is fully excelling, posting a 166 OPS+, which he’s only done better than once, and that was back in 2018, when he won his first (and only) MVP award with the Boston Red Sox.

And what should really scare anyone hoping to beat out Betts is that the power hasn’t fully clicked yet. He was among the league leaders in home runs the first couple weeks of the season, but has mostly been an on-base king since, with eight home runs currently for the season. We’ve seen Betts go on home run binges at times, with last year’s 39-homer performance standing out above the rest. With Acuna no longer in the picture this season, another power surge from Mookie could be the trump card in his quest for a second MVP award.

American League

5. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

Immediately, my first thought in putting Bobby Witt Jr. fifth is that the American League is a heck of a lot tougher than the National League right now. Witt probably would have been third, possibly even second in the NL rankings. He just took home AL Player of the Week honors after finally tapping into his home run power this season, but he’s been getting the job done in every possible way for the upstart Kansas City Royals.

With a .315 batting average, .917 OPS, nine homers, 16 steals, and a league-best seven outs above average at shortstop, Witt has truly become the full package. And the argument could be made that as well as he’s played, he’s mostly been even keel while others on this list have had crazy home run binges. Even if he’s not quite in the discussion for the number one spot just yet, he very well might find himself there if he keeps playing this well, this consistently.

4. Juan Soto, RF, New York Yankees

Juan Soto doesn’t need to win AL MVP to make a boatload of money this offseason, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. He’s third in the MLB in OPS, eighth in batting average, sixth in home runs, and seventh in bWAR. He’s also drastically improved his defense, which is exactly what teams were hoping to see from a 25-year-old looking for a 10-plus-year contract.

The interesting piece of Soto’s MVP candidacy is how his performance relates to that of his teammate, Aaron Judge. In most scenarios across professional sports, it’s hard for a superstar to win an MVP award if he shares a team with a second superstar, save for perhaps Ohtani, who is clearly an alien. On the other hand, if the Yankees dominate the regular season and lock up the one seed in the AL by a comfortable margin, perhaps that team success can propel Judge and Soto to a top-two MVP finish, which hasn’t happened since the San Francisco Giants’ Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds did it in 2000.

3. Kyle Tucker, RF, Houston Astros

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of people setting themselves up for big paydays, Kyle Tucker has been going bananas for the Houston Astros this season, setting new heights for himself even after he took a big leap forward in 2023. He’s tied for second in the home run chase, while ranking fourth in bWAR and fifth in OPS.

Though the Astros have had a soundly disappointing first two months, their season might be over without Tucker’s contributions. And that narrative could only further his candidacy if he keeps this up while Houston gets back in the playoff race. Voters love narratives and leading a turnaround that ultimately results in personal and team success is the way royalty gets crowned. In that sense, it’s easy to see why the nickname “King Tuck” has continued to stick.

2. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles

In a great race like this one, sometimes, the tie goes to the shortstop. For Gunnar Henderson to be jockeying for position with Tucker and Aaron Judge atop the MLB home run leaderboard while playing the most premium position on the diamond is special stuff. And to be doing so still a month shy of his 23rd birthday borders on total insanity. We may still only be scratching the surface of how good at baseball Henderson can be, and that’s a scary proposition.

bWAR isn’t everything, but Henderson is tied with Betts atop the leaderboard with 3.8, so there’s a symmetry to listing him first. And some may prefer fWAR, where Henderson ranks fourth among the five competitors on the AL ranking. It’s close, but sometimes, you have to trust what your eyes are seeing when you watch the games. And when I’ve watched baseball this season, so far, Henderson has been the single player who has impressed me the most. Yet, he can’t be number one, because…

1. Aaron Judge, CF, New York Yankees

This list was going to drop on Saturday morning with Henderson in the number one slot. Then Aaron Judge went into San Francisco, heard the boos from fans who had hoped he would join the Giants as a free agent, and mashed two monster home runs to become the first in the big leagues to reach 20, because that’s just what Aaron Judge does.

At this time last month, the only narratives about Judge were whether or not his slump was a major concern for the Yankees. Then he put together a 26-game stretch with 14 home runs and 12 doubles, thereby becoming the first Yankee ever to put up 26 extra-base hits in the month of May. And he took over the home run lead from Tucker and Henderson, despite both going bonkers the entire season. So… I guess the cause for concern has officially passed?

Perhaps there’s a little bit of future projection included in this pick as well, because we’ve already seen Judge sustain elite production for a whole season. His 2022 campaign was one of the most legendary seasons by a hitter since Bonds retired and he’s shown throughout his career that if he’s healthy enough to play, he’s likely the best hitter in the entire sport. He now leads MLB in OPS at 1.056 and if he grows that lead wide enough, a second MVP could easily be his to claim.