5. Chicago Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Look, I could have gone with a number of bullpen reclamation projects who have turned out to be huge hits. Thielbar, Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Daniel Palencia — this list quite literally goes on and on.
But, despite his second-half swoon, nobody’s performance has meant more to this Chicago Cubs team than PCA. The All-Star center fielder ranks among the league leaders in WAR, will almost certainly bring home his first career Gold Glove and has been a solidly above-average bat, evidenced by a 121 OPS+. Even with the bat ebbing and flowing, his base-running and glove give PCA a solid floor that elevates the Cubs’ all-around performance.
-Landers
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
Andy Pages
The Dodgers have the most star-studded roster in baseball. Yet they also needed other young players to step up, and Pages has done just that. In 143 games, he has posted a 3.2 bWAR. He’s hit 24 home runs with 80 RBI and is slashing .272/.314/.454 with a .768 OPS. He’s cemented himself as a pillar within the organization, and on a rookie contract, he's exactly what the Dodgers and their massive payroll needed.
-Murray
3. Toronto Blue Jays
Player
At 35 years old and with two years left on his contract, not many had high hopes that Springer had two “good” years left in him. But 2025 has been Springer's best year as a Blue Jay, a year after arguably his worst season in the big leagues. In 2024, Springer remained healthy enough to play 145 games, but outside of his 19 home runs he was basically a shell of his former self, slashing .220/.303/.371 with a wRC+ of 94 and 1.1 fWAR.
Fast forward to 2025 and Springer has completely rewound the clock, playing more like his 25-year-old self than a player in their mid-30s. He’s raised his numbers in every offensive category, slashing .297/.391/.544 with a wRC+ of 158. He’s also improved his walk rate to a career high 11.9%, and he's running his second-highest BABIP ever at .320. He’s scored 95 runs this season, the first time he’s had more than 90 since 2019, and he’s two home runs shy of reaching 30 for the first time in Toronto. For what it’s worth he also set a Blue Jays record this year for the most leadoff home runs in franchise history.
-Matt Sookram, Jays Journal
2. Milwaukee Brewers
Sal Frelick
From Brice Turang taking a second consecutive “quantum leap” this season to Abner Uribe becoming the shut-down set-up man that Brewers fans always knew he could be to Andrew Vaughn’s incredible breakout in Milwaukee, there are several candidates more than worthy of this year’s Most Improved Award. However, sitting just slightly above them is 25-year-old outfielder Sal Frelick.
Not only is Frelick’s OPS more than 100 points better than it was in 2024, but he’s also vying for a National League batting title, with his .295 average narrowly trailing league leader Trea Turner’s .305 mark. Frelick has slugged eight more homers than he did a season ago, he’s continued to play stellar defense in right field, with six outs above average (OAA) to prove it, and he’s become Pat Murphy’s go-to leadoff hitter. He often sets the tone with a frustrating at-bat for opposing pitchers to begin the game, and should he find a way on base, which Frelick does in nearly 36% of his plate appearances, don’t expect him to stay put for too long; Frelick has 19 stolen bases on the season. In 2025, Frelick has become the all-around star that the front office anticipated when they selected him in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
-Owen Jonas, Reviewing the Brew
1. Philadelphia Phillies
Kyle Schwarber
Anyone who thought Kyle Schwarber was an MVP candidate coming into the season, raise your hand. Okay, put your hand down. I know you’re lying. No one saw this coming.
I say that as one of Schwarber’s biggest fans. He is everything I want in a player: He’s a leader, he can get on base and he hits absolute bombs. He’s hit 52 home runs this season, and if it weren’t for Shohei Ohtani, perhaps the greatest player in history, Schwarber would be in line to win the MVP. But Schwarber is easily a top-two player in the National League this season and is going to be in position to cash in this offseason, with the Phillies and many other teams after his services.
-Murray