MLB MVP Rankings: Braves duo, AL East rivals stand out in early stages

Welcome to the first edition of theScore's 2023 Most Valuable Player rankings, where we look at the top five players in each league. Let's run through some of the best performances during the season's early stages. Odds courtesy Barstool Sportsbook and theScore Bet.

American League

5. Jonah Heim, Rangers

You might be reading this and asking yourself, "Who the heck is Jonah Heim?" Well, he's a 27-year-old catcher from Buffalo who's broken out as an elite backstop on both sides of the ball and is perhaps the most important player on the Texas Rangers. Heim currently sits fourth in the AL in slugging, sixth in OPS, fifth in wRC+ (164), and tied for third in WAR. His .424 xwOBA also sits in the top 3% of the league. Heim's also emerged as an elite pitch framer, leading the majors with three catcher framing runs. Even if there's some regression over the season, Heim has secured himself a spot among the best AL catchers, and for the moment, he's not at all out of place on this list.

4. Wander Franco, Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have a slew of red-hot hitters who could be here, but Franco gets the nod thanks to his all-around brilliance. Now fully healthy after an injury-plagued 2022 campaign, the 22-year-old ranks second in doubles (12), extra-base hits (17), and WAR, and sits top-10 in the AL in a slew of other statistics, including steals (seven), hits (34), and total bases (61). Franco won't light up StatCast with exit velocity like some teammates, but he will show off fantastic bat control while using the entire field to spray his hits and get on base with regularity. He's also proving to be a rock at shortstop, tallying two DRS and one out above average while making just two errors. Incredibly, it still feels like Franco's only scratching the surface of his superstar potential. That's a scary thought for American League pitchers.

3. Gerrit Cole, Yankees

It takes an extraordinarily special season for a pitcher to garner MVP consideration, and that's exactly what Cole has had so far. The New York Yankees ace has been virtually untouchable through his first seven starts, sitting second in the AL in both ERA and strikeouts (54), leading in innings pitched and wins (five), ranking top-10 in WHIP (0.90), and completing one shutout. He's been worth more WAR than all but one AL position player and didn't surrender an earned run in three of his outings. Cole's balanced out his strikeout numbers, which are down a touch from his norms (10 K/9) by not allowing a home run through seven starts - a tremendous feat for the man who surrendered an AL-high 33 last year. And since this is the race for Most Valuable Player, we'll note that Cole's basically carried the Yankees through a roller-coaster first month-plus: New York has won each of his seven starts this year. Yes, it's only been a month, but if Cole continues to pitch like this - and he's certainly capable - the MVP buzz will get even louder.

2. Shohei Ohtani, Angels

Another year, another round of Shohei Ohtani making jaws drop with unprecedented two-way excellence. So far this year, he's been doing the brunt of his MVP work on the mound. Ohtani's given up just 11 hits in 34 innings, good for a league-best 2.9 H/9 rate, and just two homers. He's throwing his sweeper far more than anything else in his seven-pitch arsenal, and it's working - batters are hitting .082 with 25 strikeouts against it. While his walk rate has been high to start, it's been declining steadily over his last three outings - and even with that issue, Ohtani still sits fourth in the AL in WHIP (0.82), third in K/9, second in strikeouts, and fourth in ERA. We're talking about a Cy Young and MVP-caliber pitcher ... who also happens to be slashing .294/.355/.541 and sitting top-10 among hitters in hits, total bases, and homers as a DH. What can't this guy do?

1. Matt Chapman, Blue Jays

Everyone knows the Toronto Blue Jays have a dynamic offense, but few anticipated it would be led by Chapman, who's exploded out of the gate and looks like a completely different hitter. He leads the AL in all the slash categories as well as OPS+ (209), doubles (15), extra-base hits (20), and total bases (70), is tied for second in hits (40), and is the only player in either league who's passed the 2-WAR mark. A notorious pull hitter throughout his career, Chapman's now using the entire field, spraying a good portion of his extra-base hits to right-center. He's in the 100th percentile in barrel percentage and 99th percentile in exit velocity, and has lowered his strikeout rate while improving his walk percentage - all while remaining one of baseball's best defensive third basemen. Chapman's a pending free agent, and with each passing day, his price tag - not to mention his chances of hitting the open market as an MVP - is increasing rapidly.

National League

5. Max Muncy, Dodgers

There was plenty of change in Los Angeles over the winter, but Muncy stayed put, and the Dodgers might be lost without him. The 32-year-old is second in the NL in OPS (1.039) and is tied for the major-league lead in home runs, but those stats only begin to tell his story. While Muncy's always taken his walks, he's taken his patience to a new level this year, drawing 24 bases on balls (to 31 strikeouts) and pushing his walk rate above 20% for the first time in his career. When he does make contact, he's tearing the cover off the baseball, sitting in the 96th percentile in average exit velocity and the 99th percentile in barrel percentage. A healthy Muncy has made a massive difference for the Dodgers in the first month of the season.

4. Sean Murphy, Braves

When the Atlanta Braves swooped in to trade for, and extend, Murphy this past offseason, it was clear they'd scored a tremendous upgrade behind the plate. Who could have thought he'd be this good, though? After his first month-plus in Atlanta, Murphy ranks third in the NL in slugging and second in wRC+ (179), is tied for fourth in homers and first in OPS (1.054), and now sits alone in fourth on the NL WAR leaderboard. The 28-year-old is barreling the ball better than he ever has and seems to be a more balanced hitter thanks to some newly discovered on-base skills. He's also continuing to provide Gold Glove-caliber defense behind the plate. Murphy has been better than even the Braves might have anticipated and is going to play a major role in the team's success this season.

3. Luis Arraez, Marlins

Arraez is here because he's very good at hitting baseballs. In fact, as far as pure hitters go, few in today's game are better. In his first month with the Miami Marlins, last year's AL batting champion has opened up a 73-point lead in the NL batting race and is 46 points ahead on the OBP leaderboard, not to mention his 40 hits that are tied for second in the Senior Circuit. He uses the entire field to his advantage as a singles hitter and because of that is one of the most difficult outs in baseball - Arraez has struck out just five times in 105 plate appearances. Not only has the 26-year-old given the Marlins the offensive jolt they've spent years searching for, but he's carrying their lineup on his back. No, Arraez probably won't hit above .400 for another five months, but he's also not going to stop getting his hits any time soon. He'll be in the MVP conversation all summer long.

2. Xander Bogaerts, Padres

The San Diego Padres' vaunted offense has been slow to get going this season, but don't blame Bogaerts. San Diego's prized free-agent acquisition has been everything the team hoped early on, as his .892 OPS easily outpaces the rest of his teammates. Bogaerts sits second in the NL in WAR, and ranks top-10 in a slew of other categories, including hits (34), total bases (56), and runs scored. He's also improved his patience, lowering his strikeout rate and upping his walk rate to career-best marks to this point. It's been a disappointing start for the Padres as a whole, but Bogaerts has almost singlehandedly kept them afloat. That's enough to earn the runner-up spot in these rankings.

1. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves

A healthy Acuna is a very scary thing. The 25-year-old has elevated his game to a whole other level, re-establishing himself as both the Braves' leader and an obvious top-tier MVP candidate. Acuna's sitting fifth in the majors in OPS (1.035) and third in both OBP and average. While his power numbers are down a touch, he's proving to be an all-around threat thanks to an NL-high 42 hits and 14 stolen bases, while being caught stealing just twice. He's also leading or tied for the lead in his league in total bases (68) and extra-base hits (16) and has tallied an MLB-best 14 multi-hit games. Perhaps the scariest development for opponents, though, is that Acuna - a notorious free swinger - has lowered his strikeout rate to 14.7%. If this version of Acuna continues all summer, the NL MVP race could be over early.