Acuña or Betts? Here's what MVP poll says

Acuña or Betts? Here's what MVP poll says

September 8th, 2023

or ? Who's your National League MVP?

The race is suddenly a coin flip. Acuña once looked like he'd run away with the MVP trophy, but Betts just might seize it with his second-half charge.

We're headed for a photo finish. Just look at the latest MLB.com MVP poll. It's the closest one ever. Only two votes separated Betts and Acuña in the NL.

MLB.com's experts were asked to rank their top five MVP candidates in each league based on what's happened so far this season and what they expect will happen in the final month. Players received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale -- five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Fifty-four voters participated in this edition of the poll.

Here are the full results. (All stats below are through Thursday's games.)

AMERICAN LEAGUE 

1) , SP/DH, Angels (54 first-place votes) 

Ohtani has been the unanimous No. 1 choice for AL MVP in each of the previous MLB.com polls during the second half. Even after suffering a torn UCL that ended his season as a pitcher -- but not as a hitter -- the two-way superstar has accomplished so much this year that he's still the overwhelming favorite. Ohtani leads the AL with 44 home runs and leads the Majors with a 1.066 OPS. His final numbers on the mound for 2023: 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

2) , SS, Rangers

Seager is leading the AL batting race with a .339 average and he also has 28 home runs, 84 RBIs and a 1.049 OPS. This is the best season of his career, and the four-time All-Star has had plenty of great seasons. Now if only Seager can slug the Rangers into the playoffs.

3) , OF, Mariners

J-Rod has come on strong in the second half and is now in the "MVP finalist" category after not even receiving a single top-five vote in the last MLB.com poll. He's up to 27 home runs and 36 stolen bases, putting him in position for his first 30-30 season, and he might win a Gold Glove in center field, too.

4) Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros

Having Tucker in the middle of the order is one of the biggest reasons why the Astros have been able to take back first place in the AL West from Seager's Rangers and Rodríguez's Mariners. Tucker is batting .290 with 26 home runs, 26 stolen bases and 99 RBIs as the three teams and their MVP candidates battle it out down the stretch.

5) , Rays

The Rays are staying firmly in playoff position in large part thanks to Díaz's consistency. The slugger finished 20th in AL MVP voting last season, and he's sure to finish even higher this year. Díaz is batting .317 with 18 homers, 67 RBIs and an .891 OPS.

Others receiving votes: Luis Robert Jr., Adolis García, Marcus Semien, Bobby Witt Jr., Adley Rutschman, Aaron Judge, Gunnar Henderson, Gerrit Cole, Randy Arozarena, Bo Bichette, José Ramírez

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1) , OF, Braves (28 first-place votes)

Here we go. Acuña is still No. 1. But it's by a razor-thin margin. The Braves superstar has already put up the first 30-60 season in AL/NL history. And he's blowing past that historic milestone, with 34 homers and 63 steals and counting. How could he not be MVP? Well … Mookie might have something to say about that.

2) , INF/OF, Dodgers (26 first-place votes)

Betts in 2023 is having a season to rival the 2018 AL MVP version of himself. Acuña has made power-speed history, but it's Betts who leads the NL in Wins Above Replacement. He's batting .314 with 38 home runs -- just two away from his first 40-homer season -- 99 RBIs and a league-leading 1.020 OPS.

All of our voters picked Acuña and Betts 1-2 in some order for NL MVP in this poll. Acuña's two extra first-place votes were the difference.

3) , 1B, Dodgers

Freeman snatched a few first-place votes from Acuña in our last MVP poll, when he finished second in the NL. His teammate Betts has leapfrogged him this time, but Freeman still holds finalist position. He's batting .333 with 25 homers, an MLB-high 52 doubles, 91 RBIs and a .983 OPS.

4) , 1B, Braves

The Braves and Dodgers are dominating the NL MVP polls. Olson is the thunder to Acuña's lightning, leading the Majors with both 47 home runs and 116 RBIs. The lefty slugger is looking for his first home run crown.

5) , OF, D-backs

In the non-Braves and Dodgers division, we have the D-backs' dynamic rookie Carroll rounding out the NL MVP top five. Carroll was an early-season MVP contender and he's back in the mix now, with 24 homers, 42 steals and an MLB-high nine triples. He's also the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year.

Others receiving votes: Cody Bellinger, Francisco Lindor, Luis Arraez, Ha-Seong Kim, Juan Soto, Zack Wheeler, Justin Steele, Pete Alonso, Bryce Harper