NEW YORK — Barry Bonds remains the unmatched king of baseball’s MVP Award with seven trophies, but Thursday’s ceremony tightened the race behind him as Shohei Ohtani won his fourth MVP and Yankees captain Aaron Judge collected his third. The night highlighted how rare it is for any player to sustain MVP-level dominance and placed both modern stars closer to some of the greatest names in Major League Baseball history.
The 2025 MVP announcement showcased the exclusivity of the award. Only 13 players have earned at least three MVPs since the Baseball Writers’ Association of America began selecting winners in 1931. Judge became the newest member of that group. He joined Yankees icons Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle with three awards each, strengthening the Yankees tradition of elite talent at the top of the game.
Ohtani’s unanimous win moved him into second place on the all-time list. His four MVPs trail only Bonds’ seven. The Dodgers star has won four in five seasons and became the second player in MLB history to win MVP in both leagues. Frank Robinson was the first.
Top 10 MLB players with most MVP awards
The complete rankings remain a reflection of some of baseball’s biggest legends:
| Rank | Player | MVP Awards | Years Won | Teams |
| 1 | Barry Bonds | 7 | 1990, 1992-93, 2001-04 | Pirates, Giants |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani* | 4 | 2021, 2023-25 | Angels, Dodgers |
| T-3 | Yogi Berra | 3 | 1951, 1954-55 | Yankees |
| T-3 | Roy Campanella | 3 | 1951, 1953, 1955 | Dodgers |
| T-3 | Joe DiMaggio | 3 | 1939, 1941, 1947 | Yankees |
| T-3 | Jimmie Foxx | 3 | 1932-33, 1938 | Athletics, Red Sox |
| T-3 | Aaron Judge* | 3 | 2022, 2024-25 | Yankees |
| T-3 | Mickey Mantle | 3 | 1956-57, 1962 | Yankees |
| T-3 | Stan Musial | 3 | 1943, 1946, 1948 | Cardinals |
| T-3 | Albert Pujols | 3 | 2005, 2008-09 | Cardinals |
*Active player
Yankees dominate MVP history with 23 awards
The Yankees lead all franchises with 23 MVP Awards. That total reflects decades of excellence and star power. Judge’s third trophy added another chapter to this history and placed him among the most decorated Yankees ever.
DiMaggio won MVP in 1939, 1941 and 1947. He also helped the Yankees win six championships. Berra captured the award in 1951, 1954 and 1955. His 10 World Series titles remain unmatched by any position player. Mantle captured his three MVPs in 1956, 1957 and 1962, during an era when the Yankees dominated baseball.
“All those names won a lot of championships in New York,” Judge said Thursday. “That’s the Mount Rushmore of Yankees. I think I’d trade every award I’ve gotten and every All Star appearance for an opportunity to win a championship.”
Judge is still chasing his first ring. But his consistency keeps him in the conversation with the greatest Yankees. His third MVP win continued a period of dominance that parallels several all-time greats.
Top 10 Yankees MVP award winners
| Rank | Player | MVP Awards | Years Won | World Series Titles |
| T-1 | Joe DiMaggio | 3 | 1939, 1941, 1947 | 9 |
| T-1 | Yogi Berra | 3 | 1951, 1954-55 | 10 |
| T-1 | Mickey Mantle | 3 | 1956-57, 1962 | 7 |
| T-1 | Aaron Judge* | 3 | 2022, 2024-25 | 0 |
| T-5 | Roger Maris | 2 | 1960-61 | 2 |
| T-5 | Alex Rodriguez | 2 | 2005, 2007 | 1 |
| T-7 | Lou Gehrig | 1 | 1936 | 6 |
| T-7 | Joe Gordon | 1 | 1942 | 5 |
| T-7 | Spud Chandler | 1 | 1943 | 6 |
| T-7 | Phil Rizzuto | 1 | 1950 | 7 |
*Active player
Beyond the multiple-time winners, the Yankees history includes several single award honorees. Gehrig won in 1936. Maris won back-to-back MVPs during his historic 1960 and 1961 seasons. Rodriguez captured two MVPs during his Yankees years in 2005 and 2007. Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly, Joe Gordon, Spud Chandler and Phil Rizzuto each won one MVP as a Yankee.
Bonds’ seven MVPs remain untouchable
Barry Bonds remains the most decorated MVP winner in baseball. He won twice with the Pirates and once early with the Giants before producing a stretch from 2001 to 2004 that remains unmatched. He won four straight MVPs during that period and hit 73 home runs in 2001.
Bonds won his seventh award in 2004 at age 40. He remains the oldest MVP winner in MLB history. His career achievements remain controversial because of performance enhancing drug allegations, but his statistical dominance has not been matched. His 762 home runs remain the MLB record, yet he has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Mike Trout joins Judge among modern three-time winners. He won in 2014, 2016 and 2019 and finished in the top two of MVP voting seven times. That ties him with Musial and Pujols for second-most top-two finishes behind Bonds’ nine.
Active players chasing history
Several active stars have a chance to climb higher in the MVP rankings. Bryce Harper owns two awards. He won with Washington in 2015 and with Philadelphia in 2021. Harper remains a threat to add a third.
Judge continues performing at an elite level. He averaged 9.0 WAR across the past four seasons. He hit .311 with a .439 on base percentage and a .677 slugging percentage during that run. He also averaged 53 home runs per season. His age 33 season proved he can still dominate despite injuries.
“It’s tough for me to wrap my head around it,” Judge said about joining the three MVP club. “It’s really kind of mind blowing. I just play this game to win.”
Miguel Cabrera was the last player before Judge and Ohtani to win back to back MVPs. He did so in 2012 and 2013 with the Tigers and won the Triple Crown in 2012.
Historical perspective shapes modern greatness
The three MVP club includes names who shaped the game. Foxx won his three between 1932 and 1938. Musial accomplished the feat during the 1940s. Campanella dominated the National League during the early 1950s. Schmidt won his three with Philadelphia. Pujols claimed his with St. Louis. Rodriguez earned two with the Yankees after winning one with Texas.
The gap between these legends and Bonds’ seven awards reflects how difficult it is to stay elite. Only 30 players have ever won more than one MVP. Only 13 have won at least three. Judge’s 2025 win made him part of that small group. Ohtani appears to be the strongest candidate to challenge Bonds long term. He is only 30 years old with four MVP awards already.
The MVP award remains one of the toughest honors in sports. The performances needed to win even one require extraordinary skill. Sustained dominance is even harder. Thursday’s awards showed that Judge and Ohtani continue climbing toward baseball immortality while adding to Yankees and MLB history.
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