It’s been two weeks since our last MVP ladder, and Ronald Acuña Jr. has only tightened his grip on the top spot in the National League with a major power surge in the time since.
The same can’t be said for the rest of the NL, as Pete Alonso is the only other player from the last ladder to keep a spot in the top-five.
Things have been more steady in the American League, where the top-three spots remain unchanged, led by Shohei Ohtani, whose odds have shortened even more at -110 despite a shaky month on the mound.
RELATED: MLB Cy Young Ladder 1.0
American League MVP
Marcus Semien makes his MVP ladder debut at No. 4 (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
1. P/DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (-110)
.288 AVG | 29 RBI | 9 HR | 6 SB | 0.9 WAR
5-1 | 3.23 ERA | 12.1 K/9 | 1.6 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
Ohtani has a 5.68 ERA in three starts this month. He’ll need to clean that up soon to keep his hold on the top spot, because there are plenty of bats better than his right now.
2. OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays (+3000)
.310 AVG | 36 RBI | 10 HR | 4 SB | 1.6 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
Arozarena ranks top five in average, RBI and OPS in the AL and he’s tied for the sixth-most homers. His MVP odds have moved up from +5000 in the last two weeks.
3. OF Adolis García, Texas Rangers (+10000)
.258 AVG | 46 RBI | 13 HR | 3 SB | 1.1 WAR
Last ladder: 3rd
García leads the majors in RBI with six more than the next closest player, and he leads the AL in home runs.
4. 2B Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers (+9000)
.293 AVG | 35 RBI | 7 HR | 7 SB | 2.7 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Semien makes his ladder debut thanks to a month where he has a hit in all but one game for a May average of .339 and has climbed to fifth in RBI in the AL.
5. OF Yordan Álvarez, Houston Astros (+2500)
.287 AVG | 39 RBI | 9 HR | 1.2 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Álvarez is 3rd in RBI in the AL despite five fewer games than anyone else in the top five, including Rafael Devers, who has the second-most. Álvarez edges Devers thanks to a superior batting average and OPS.
National League MVP
Nolan Gorman makes his MVP ladder debut at No. 2 (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
1. OF Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (+130)
.345 AVG | 27 RBI | 11 HR | 18 SB | 3.0 WAR
Last ladder: 1st
Acuña added 6 home runs and 11 RBI to his numbers since the last ladder with minimal decline in his average. His odds have improved to +130, and I’d suggest betting now before they shorten more.
2. DH/2B Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals (+20000)
.283 AVG | 33 RBI | 10 HR | 3 SB | 1.3 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Gorman is riding an eight-game hitting streak and has the NL’s third-most RBI while also hitting for the league’s third-best OPS — fifth best in the majors.
3. 1B Pete Alonso, New York Mets (+1400)
.232 AVG | 36 RBI | 15 HR | 1.2 WAR
Last ladder: 2nd
Alonso slides one spot because of an average that continues to decline, but his value was never more evident than Wednesday when he hit the walk-off home run to beat the Rays — his league-best 15th homer.
4. C Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves (+1900)
.268 AVG | 34 RBI | 10 HR | 1.8 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Murphy has just two fewer RBI than the NL-leader Alonso while playing in seven fewer games. His OPS is only second to Acuña, and he’s doing it all while catching one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
5. 1B Christian Walker, Arizona Diamondbacks (n/a)
.268 AVG | 31 RBI | 11 HR | 1 SB | 1.3 WAR
Last ladder: Not ranked
Walker is top five in National League home runs, top 10 in RBI and he’s helping anchor a surprisingly hot start for the D-backs.
