New York Mets' Pete Alonso in the hunt for NL MVP

See where Mets first baseman Pete Alonso landed in MLB.com's first MVP poll of 2025.

May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) is welcomed in the dugout after scoring in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

With Pete Alonso's hot start extending into May, the New York Mets slugger has officially stamped himself as an early National League MVP candidate.

After being named the league's Player of the Month in April, the praise for the first baseman keeps coming in, as MLB.com's first MVP poll has Alonso as second in the NL. According to the voting, Alonso hasn't done enough to supplant San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who controls first place. However, the race is tightly-contested, as Alonso received 17 first-place votes to Tatis Jr.'s 16.

Pete Alonso leads the National League in OPS by over 150 points 😳 pic.twitter.com/vO6b4dSrXx

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 6, 2025

Read More: MLB insider predicts Mets’ Pete Alonso to land this massive deal in free agency

As of Tuesday, the Polar Bear holds an NL-best .349 average and 1.143 OPS. After Monday's win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where Alonso left the yard for his ninth home run of the year, teammate Francisco Lindor spoke about his transcendence from a power hitter to a high-average hitter with "a lot of pop."

"He's almost like a high-average hitter that has a lot of pop, where before he was a power hitter. Now he looks fantastic. I'm really happy for him. I'm proud of him"

- Francisco Lindor on Pete Alonso pic.twitter.com/KJi9aM6sc6

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 6, 2025

The dynamic Tatis Jr. is a two-time All-Star with two Silver Slugger Awards but has yet to finish better than third in MVP voting. So far in his 2025 campaign, the right fielder leads all NL outfielders with a .317 average; his 2.3 WAR has him tied for second in the NL, just behind Alonso.

How on earth did Fernando Tatis Jr. score on this?!?! pic.twitter.com/th8NzJwb3F

— MLB (@MLB) May 4, 2025

Fellow Mets stars Lindor and Juan Soto also received votes, though neither cracked the top five. Soto has had a slow start for his standards, but his inclusion on this list is a reflection of the consistent dominance the four-time All-Star has shown over his career. Lindor, on the other hand, has been stellar to start the season; typically a slow starter at the plate, the shortstop holds a .319 batting average and .917 OPS in the last 30 days, both the best among National Leaguers at his position.

Read More: Mets' Juan Soto receives disrespectful position ranking

If Alonso continues hitting like he has, it will be difficult to keep the long-time Met out of the top spot in future MVP polls. As May rolls on, the righty slugger will look to sustain his scorching hot streak and help New York defend first place in the NL East.