After doing our American League rankings, we’re evaluating the National League for its 10 best MVP contenders through the first month of the MLB season. It’s only been about a month, but we’re starting to see some stars rise to the surface in what should be a more entertaining MVP race than what we have in the AL. Shohei Ohtani is the reigning NL MVP after a historic 50-50 campaign, going on to help the Dodgers win their second World Series in five years later on.
It isn’t a foregone conclusion that he’ll win this year’s MVP; the fact that he hasn’t pitched keeps the door wide open for a player to have a monster season and take the award home. Some players will be in this race all year, others will find themselves.
ALSO READ: Ranking MLB’s top 10 AL MVP Candidates after one month in 2025
10. Brendan Donovan – St. Louis Cardinals
Brendan Donovan has been a bright spot for a St. Louis Cardinals team that finds itself in the middle of another painfully mediocre campaign. With a 144 wRC+, three home runs, and a .333 average through 35 games, his offensive contributions have been stellar while playing three different positions. He’s a primary second baseman but has spent time at shortstop and left field to help the Cardinals find their perfect offensive alignment, and while he likely won’t end up winning the award, Donovan has some momentum going his way to earn an All-Star nod.
9. Jung Hoo Lee – San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee is enjoying an excellent sophomore campaign after having his rookie season ended by a shoulder injury after just 37 games. He has four home runs, 11 doubles, and two triples, as he’s using his pull-side power and blazing speed to drive the ball and rack up extra bases. An excellent defensive centerfielder as well, Lee plays a premium defensive position and has one of the best hit tools in the sport. Lee has looked every bit as good as advertised, and San Francisco might have a true superstar on their hands in the Grandson of the Wind.
8. Kyle Tucker – Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs traded top prospect Cam Smith alongside a solid third baseman in Isaac Paredes, but in return, they got one of the best players in the entire sport. Kyle Tucker is in a cluster of a lot of players near the top of the National League who are worthy of winning the MVP award, with a 1.9 fWAR and nine home runs through 37 games, as he picked up right where he left off in Houston where he had a 4.2 fWAR and 23 home runs across 78 games. The Cubs are the team to beat in the NL Central right now, and if they want things to stay that way after 2025, they’ll need to pay up.
7. Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
With 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases through 34 games, Shohei Ohtani isn’t too far off his 2024 NL MVP pace, and it’s resulted in a 1.9 fWAR. If he gets on a mound and pitches again this season, he could create a one-man race in the National League, but we’re strictly looking at their performance during the 2025 season. Ohtani’s .467 xwOBA indicates that his ranking on this list could change dramatically any day now, as his explosive bat can cause him to go off on a massive tear that puts him back in front in the MVP race.
6. Geraldo Perdomo – Arizona Diamondbacks
Geraldo Perdomo is an elite defensive shortstop with excellent baserunning value, but that’s been the case for years now, and we’ve never considered him a superstar-caliber player. What’s changed is the improvement in his offensive contributions, as Geraldo Perdomo has a 139 wRC+ and five home runs through 36 games. He only hit three home runs in 98 games last year and six home runs across 144 games when Arizona went to the World Series in 2023. Perdomo could be breaking out in his age-25 season, and with a 2.2 fWAR and 2.3 bWAR, he is firmly in the NL MVP race right now.
5. Fernando Tatis Jr. – San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. is back to being an MVP candidate again, combining the improvements in his contact rate last year with the baserunning and defense he displayed in 2023. With elite defense in right field and +1.1 BsR, Tatis is an excellent all-around player who can impact the game no matter who is hitting or pitching. There are few players in the game with his raw talent, and if he can continue barreling the ball, giving catchers a scare when he’s on base, and playing Gold Glove caliber defense in right field, he might be the favorite for this award by season’s end.
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Los Angeles Dodgers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been the best pitcher in baseball this season, sporting a ridiculous 0.90 ERA through his first seven starts of the year. He has a 32% K%, 8.5% BB%, and has been impossible to barrel up, allowing just four total on the season. Yamamoto’s four-seam fastball hasn’t been a high-whiff offering, but it gets called strikes, limits damage contact, and sets up arguably the best pitch in baseball. His splitter has a .098 BA and 48% Whiff% with a -16 degree launch angle, and with four other pitches he can throw in any count, good luck trying to score when he’s on the mound.
3. Pete Crow-Armstrong – Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs crushed the Javier Baez trade, landing a superstar in Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has been the best player on their team thus far. The dynamic outfielder has nine home runs, 12 stolen bases, and is the best defensive centerfielder in the sport with +8 Fielding Run Value due to his elite range and great arm. PCA is a WAR machine, making an impact in so many different ways and helping Chicago get off to an incredible start. If he can keep this up, his decision to reject an extension offer north of $70 million will be one of the best gambles he’s ever taken.
2. Corbin Carroll – Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have a true superstar in Corbin Carroll, who has a 156 wRC+ and 10 home runs through his first 36 games of the season. While not the same baserunner he was in his rookie season, the decision to sell out for power has proved to be one of the best of his young career, resulting in an offensive resurgence after a bad first half in 2024. His defense has improved as well, and if he can keep this up, the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year winner could add some more hardware to his shelf in 2025.
1. Pete Alonso – New York Mets
Pete Alonso has a ridiculous 210 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR through the first month of the season, and its safe to say that he will be opting out of his three-year deal with the Mets this winter. He’ll likely end up the Mets’ all-time leader in home runs when this season is over, and there’s no one else more deserving of the top spot on this list. First basemen are often limited in their defensive impact, and Alonso isn’t a burner on the bases, which hurts his chances of running away with the award, but if he keeps this up, we might be looking at a historically great season.