We’re a little over one-third of the way through the 2025 MLB regular season, meaning we’ve started to gain some clarity on what to expect from both a player and team perspective. With June just around the corner, it becomes increasingly difficult to wave away players’ performances as merely early mirages or small-sample flukes. It’s time to start taking the statistics and standings a little more seriously.
As such, let’s take a look at where the three major award races stand and identify the top three candidates for each honor entering Thursday at this stage of the season.
AL MVP
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees OF
The two-time MVP and Yankees captain has somehow leveled up again in his age-33 season. With his stupendous ability to slug still regularly on display, Judge has managed to considerably improve his contact skills as well, enabling his batting average to soar to unexpected heights (.391!!!) and his strikeout rate to sink to a career-low (21.9%). Barring injury, Judge is a surefire bet to become just the 12th player ever to win three MVP awards.
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals SS
Bobby Baseball’s bat hasn’t been quite as potent this season, with his wRC+ down to 124 compared to the 168 mark he finished 2024 with en route to his MVP runner-up finish. But the immense value he continues to provide as an outstanding defender at shortstop and as a menace on the basepaths has ensured Witt remains near the top of the WAR leaderboard and in the thick of the MVP conversation again. If his offensive production stays more good than great, it’ll be interesting to see how Witt’s candidacy as Judge’s biggest challenger is influenced by Kansas City’s place in the standings.
3. Cal Raleigh, Mariners C
Catchers have a unique opportunity to make an impact on both sides of the ball, and no backstop exemplifies that dynamic more than Raleigh. With an excellent reputation as a field general who has been instrumental in the success of Seattle’s pitching staff already firmly intact, Raleigh has evolved into an all-around offensive force as well, one whose elite power and on-base skills more than compensate for the healthy dose of swing-and-miss. It’s rare to see catchers slug at Raleigh’s level in any given season, let alone on a yearly basis. If he can sustain anything close to the level of play he’s demonstrated and the Mariners can capture their first division title since 2001, Raleigh will have as strong a case as any to be included as an AL MVP finalist.