Throughout the 2023 MLB season, BetFTW is keeping track of the Cy Young and MVP award leaders in both the American League and National League.
Every two weeks or so, we’re listing our top-five leaders for each award along with stats to support their award cases. We also include each player’s betting odds from DraftKings to win the award, though it’s important to remember odds often attempt to predict who finishes the year at the top based on previous expectations, and they adjust as the seasons goes. We simply tell you which players have been the best.
Here’s this week’s top five.
RELATED: MLB Cy Young Ladder 2.0
American League MVP
Wander Franco makes his MVP ladder debut at No. 5 (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
1. P/DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (-145)
.269 AVG | 38 RBI | 15 HR | 7 SB | 1.2 WAR
5-1 | 2.91 ERA | 12.5 K/9 | 1.8 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
On the last ladder, I said Ohtani needed to clean up his pitching and that’s exactly what he did in two starts since, allowing just two earned runs over 12 innings. This week, his bat came back to life with three home runs over his last two games.
2. OF Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (+600)
.298 AVG | 39 RBI | 18 HR | 3 SB | 2.4 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
You knew it was just a matter of time before the reigning MVP made his ascent and here it is. Judge has seven homers in his last 12 games — including four in his last four games — improving his OPS from an incredible .961 to a league-best 1.088.
3. OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays (+3500)
.297 AVG | 40 RBI | 11 HR | 6 SB | 2.1 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
Arozarena is still playing really good ball, but even the marginal drops in his numbers threaten his spot on the next ladder. That’s because several of his teammates are also playing well and deserve attention, including Yandy Díaz, Josh Lowe and Wander Franco, who’s fifth on this ladder.
4. 2B Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers (+3500)
.295 AVG | 44 RBI | 8 HR | 7 SB | 3.2 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
Semien slides a spot but it’s hard to argue with what he’s doing. His hit streak is up to 20 games, and his 44 RBI rank fifth in all of baseball.
5. SS Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays (+3000)
.298 AVG | 29 RBI | 7 HR | 20 SB | 3.4 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
What Franco does on the base paths is electrifying, and he’s already more than doubled his previous career high in stolen bases. Add in a respectable .844 OPS, and Franco is one of the most dangerous players in an incredibly potent lineup.
National League MVP
Freddie Freeman makes his MVP ladder debut at No. 2 (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
1. OF Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (+140)
.324 AVG | 31 RBI | 11 HR | 23 SB | 2.9 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
Two weeks ago, it looked like Acuña might be creating distance in the MVP race. But with his production slowing even a little — four RBI and no homers in his last 13 games — the No. 2 player on this list is starting to breathe down his neck.
2. 1B Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers (+550)
.346 AVG | 35 RBI | 10 HR | 8 SB | 2.8 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Freeman entered May with a .292 average and .828 OPS. He enters June with a .346 average and 1.008 OPS. That’s a helluva month. He recorded a hit in 27 of 28 games in May and currently has a 20-game streak going, with multiple hits in five of his last six games.
3. DH/2B Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals (+4500)
.272 AVG | 41 RBI | 13 HR | 4 SB | 1.6 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
The rest of the NL ladder resembles the last one, with each player after Freeman sliding a spot. Gorman’s 41 RBI rank third in the NL and his .915 OPS is sixth.
4. 1B Pete Alonso, New York Mets (+1300)
.238 AVG | 46 RBI | 20 HR | 1 SB | 1.8 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
Alonso’s average is only slightly up from .232 on the last ladder, but hey, it’s progress. The big thing sustaining him his his MLB-leading 20 homers and NL-leading 46 RBI.
5. C Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves (+3500)
.286 AVG | 38 RBI | 11 HR | 0 SB | 2.1 WAR
Last ladder: 4th
Murphy continues to get on base at a high clip and bring extra power to Atlanta’s lineup with an impressive .951 OPS that ranks third in the NL.
