Last season, Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge earned MVP honors in their respective leagues.
While it’s still only June, the races for this year’s MVP Awards are just as exciting as they feature some of the game’s most prized talent.
The cast of characters in the running is somewhat different, but the excitement around the races is just the same.
And as the 2023 MLB season moves closer to All-Star week, it’s time to take a look at who is in the running and who may ultimately come out on top in the MVP races.
On Twitter, MLB posted a graphic featuring the top-five players in the running for each league.
As All-Star Week creeps closer, these sluggers lead the charge for AL & NL MVP. pic.twitter.com/eCISFIXIn1
— MLB (@MLB) June 13, 2023
In the American League, things look quite similarly to how they did last year.
Both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are in the running and are in the top two spots thus far.
Ohtani won the award back in 2021 and finished second in the voting last season behind Judge in the American League.
Wander Franco, Marcus Semien, and Bo Bichette also cannot be overlooked in the AL as the race heats up.
There are some familiar faces from recent years in the running in the National League.
Right now, Ronald Acuna Jr. appears to be the leading candidate in the NL.
His former teammate Freddie Freeman is right behind him.
Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll, who is obviously one of the frontrunners in the race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, is third on the list.
Luis Arraez and Mookie Betts round out the list for NL stars.
The races are heating up, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top by the end of the season.
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