Generational players tend to make the spectacular look mundane. And whether it’s Aaron Judge hitting over .400 as we approach June or Shohei Ohtani being second in MLB in OPS after a quiet start to the year, the two best players in the world again look like they’re destined to finish as the AL and NL MVP Award winners, respectively.
Judge and Ohtani are the easy frontrunners for MVP and in a year when they’re healthy, that will likely always be the case. But what if there was a world where the reigning MVPs weren’t sitting atop every offensive leaderboard?
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Who would we be watching more closely?
National League
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Philadelphia Phillies
When you think of the Phillies since they put together their star-laden core, you would think that Bryce Harper was the engine of that group. And while Harper is still the Phillies’ best player, the heart and soul of this team is undoubtedly Schwarber. After a year of trying to find who he was as a player, Schwarber has become one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. And this season, the former World Series champion is having the best season of his career.
Schwarber enters Friday slashing .256/.396/.572 with 17 homers and 37 RBI. In 49 games, he’s on pace to finish with career highs in hits, homers, runs, RBI and walks. The early-season success by the Phillies’ longtime designated hitter has helped them get back to the top of the NL East and hold the best record in the league.
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He’s playing on the last season of his four-year, $79 million deal and setting himself up tremendously for free agency.
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Freeman has been a hit machine since he was a 20-year-old debuting for the Atlanta Braves. And 15 years later, the 2020 NL MVP is still doing what he does best and aging like a fine wine. Standing out on a team with two MVPs is tough, especially when one of them is the best player in the world. Freeman has been just as important to the Dodgers’ success this season, staying atop a loaded NL West.
The 35-year-old started the year hobbled, recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but he appears to be healthy and locked in. Freeman not leads the National League in hitting with an eye-popping .368 batting average and is second in MLB behind Judge with a 1.087 OPS.
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It’s not wild to say that Freeman might be MLB’s best pure hitter, and to be doing it at age 35, when making it 16 seasons in the big leagues is now a rarity, is impressive. He is on a trajectory to get top-five MVP votes for the third time in the past four seasons after a fourth-place finish in 2022 and a third-place finish in ’23.
It doesn’t appear that Freeman is slowing down anytime soon and at this rate, not only could another MVP Award be a possibility, but 3.000 hits is not too far behind.
Corbin Carroll, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks
This time last season, we were all wondering if Carroll was a victim of the dreaded sophomore slump. The D-backs’ All-Star struggled mightily out of the gate. Even in a thriving Arizona lineup, its spark plug couldn’t get going. But Carroll slowly came back around to being the player we thought he was after his phenomenal rookie campaign.
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It’s safe to say that Carroll is back and maybe better than ever. The D-backs outfielder currently has a .945 OPS and already has 30 extra-base hits including 15 homers. Carroll’s frame might not do him justice when it comes to power, but when you look at the home run leaderboards, he’s been holding his own with the likes of Ohtani and Schwarber.
Carroll has been Arizona’s best player since 2023, when he took home the NL Rookie of the Year Award and finished fifth in NL MVP voting.
If this version of Carroll is the one we see all year long, a fifth-place finish in MVP voting won’t be high enough.
American League
Alex Bregman, 3B, Boston Red Sox
One of the most intriguing free agents this past offseason, Bregman came to Boston with something to prove. Not only that he was worth the hefty $40 million average annual value, but that he could still be an impact bat in the middle of a lineup.
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Bregman has been one of the American League’s premier hitters this season. He looks like the guy who finished as the 2019 AL MVP runner-up with his combination of offense and elite defense. The two-time World Series champion is slashing .297/.381/.554 with 11 homers, second in MLB with 17 doubles and is a +6 defensive runs saved.
The Red Sox needed a big bat in the middle of the lineup to bring it all together and Bregman has done just that. For the first time in some time, Boston looks like it can be a threat in the postseason and its high-priced free agent is a big part of that.
It seemed wild to think that Bregman could opt out at the end of the season, but if he keeps playing at this level, it will not only be understandable, but likely.
Cal Raleigh, C, Seattle Mariners
It’s safe to say that Raleigh has become the best catcher in the big leagues. Offensively, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark with the best hitters in baseball and he gets on base at a high clip. Raleigh has been a driving force behind the Mariners being in first place in the AL West.
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His rise was also seen by the Mariners, who rewarded him with a six-year, $105 million extension earlier this season.
The former Platinum Glove winner is one of baseball’s best players and his ability to continue to raise his game has Seattle rolling.
Max Fried, LHP, New York Yankees
A pitcher as an MVP candidate? That’s right.
Fried’s first year in pinstripes could not have started any better. He has dominated in 2025, going 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his first 10 starts. He has done so on the heels of receiving the largest contract ever given to a left-handed starter. Sometimes we make too much of the pressure, but as the player the Yankees pivoted to after Juan Soto’s offseason departure to the New York Mets, there is definitely a high level of pressure to perform and Fried has met those expectations. And in many ways, exceeded them.
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Fried has also given the Yankees a Cy Young-caliber ace following Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery earlier this season. Cole has been the heartbeat of New York’s rotation since his arrival, but the Yankees’ new southpaw is doing his best to keep it alive and keep the Yankees on top of the AL East.
The Yankees paid Fried $218 million to get the best years of his career and so far Fried is giving them their money’s worth.
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