The National League MVP story of 2025 just got a lot more interesting. Two former All-Stars, from the Padres and the Phillies, who once played together at the Midsummer Classic 2025, are now going head-to-head in a showdown of MLB’s most exciting players. The vote outcome? It will surprise you!

Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies’ power-hitter, has a blistering .926 OPS this season, while being a key competitor to Shohei Ohtani in the same category. Ohtani is also doing quite well in the NL, with an OPS of 1.002. Fernando Tatis Jr., the other All-Star and the San Diego Padres’ exciting shortstop, is putting in decent play in both defense and offensive production with a 5.4 WAR and .794 OPS, according to Baseball Reference. 

Recently, ESPN conducted an annual 32-player “most exciting player” contest, asking MLB enthusiasts to choose their favorite between these two dynamos. Despite Schwarber’s 3 homers that helped the NL win the All-Star, the public voted for Tatis Jr. in what ESPN called “by far the tightest matchup of the bracket to this point, this one came down to a single vote — but the all-around brilliance of Tatis earned him the edge over Schwarber’s power-focused game. Winner: Tatis.”

The FantasyPros contrast shows the numbers that might justify why Tatis Jr is the top choice.

In 2025, Schwarber has 50 home runs, 120 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of.560, whereas Tatis has 20 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .431. This shows that Schwarber is stronger. But Tatis fights back with speed and balance: He has 28 thefts to Schwarber’s 10, a better batting average (.262 vs. .241), and the same OBP (.366), and he strikes out less often (114 times vs. 169).

Projections tell a similar story. Schwarber might hit more home runs (37 to 31) and RBIs (92 to 86), but Tatis is anticipated to get more hits (153 to 120) and steal a lot more bases (21 to 4). It’s a clash of power versus precision.

But what else makes Tatis’s win so surprising?

In the Phillies’ 9–3 triumph over the Mets, Schwarber hit his 50th home run. That one swing made him the top player with the most homers in the NL, leaving Ohtani at second with 48 homers. Yet, the vote turned out in Tatis’ favor.

Because in San Diego, Fernando Tatis Jr.’s play is making noise…

Schwarber’s show in Philly and Tatis’s glove-magic in San Diego

The leather magic and the power display are very different, but they are both very exciting. Kyle Schwarber is hitting huge home runs in Philadelphia, but Fernando Tatis Jr. is making a different kind of noise for the San Diego Padres by chasing down rockets and bringing them back over the fence.

Fernando Tatis Jr. took it upon himself to change the story in a recent game against the Reds. Although they lost the game 2-4, Tatis’s play was the highlight.

He climbed the tall right-field wall at Petco in the fourth inning to stop Tyler Stephenson from hitting what looked like a sure-fire home run. It was the fourth time in just 27 home games that he had done that level of glove wizardry.

But that wasn’t it.

Later in the game, he slid to field a scorching liner that went into the right-center gap and made a superb relay that stopped Elly De La Cruz at second base and kept what looked like a double from becoming extra bases. Mike Shildt, his manager, remarked that this isn’t just “Gold Glove” level; it’s “Platinum-quality.”

Tatis Jr.’s glove work isn’t just for show; it changes the game. Sure, those wall-climbing receptions and deft plays in the gap stand out on the highlight reel, but more importantly, they change the game in real time. Runs saved, energy added, crowd fired up—it’s what makes normal evenings into epic ones.