Aaron Judge was unanimously named the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) by the Baseball Writers of America. The news was welcome but hardly surprising. He had a monster regular season and the MVP Award does not take in Judge’s postseason struggles. This great news is added to Luis Gil winning the American League Rookie of the Year award.
This offseason is starting well for the Yankees, now all they need to do is sign Juan Soto (to pair with Judge) and fill their holes. This article will review the American League MVP voting from the Baseball Writers of America and review Judge’s monster regular season statistics.
American League MVP Voting
Aaron Judge unanimously won the American League Most Valuable Player Award on November 21. This is unsurprising, but good news for the Yankees. Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals was the unanimous second place player. This was not a surprise either. Bobby Witt Jr. had a great year. The Yankee free agent slugger, and Aaron Judge’s partner in crime, Juan Soto finished third, where he appeared on 21 ballots. For the other nine, seven writers voted Soto fourth (inexplicably) and two voted Soto fifth (strange).
The other contenders were Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, who finished fourth, Jose Ramirez, of the Cleveland Guardians, Vladimir Guerero Jr. of the Blue Jays, Tarek Skubal, the pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Jarred Duran of the Boston Red Sox, Brent Rooker of the Oakland A’s, Yordan Alverez of the Houston Astros, Emanual Clase of the Cleveland Guardians, and Cal Raleigh.
These voting results for American League Most Valuable Player are unsurprising, except for the two writers who voted Soto fifth. It is the case that the MVP list reads like a who’s who of baseball greatness. One could put together a pretty good baseball team with these players.
Aaron Judge’s 2024 Statistics
Aaron Judge deserved to win the American League MVP as he had a monster season. In terms of numbers, he batted .322 (good for second in the American League, to Bobby Witt Jr.). He led Major League Baseball with 58 home runs and 133 RBI. Those otherworldly numbers deserved the Most Valuable Player award in the American League. He will likely put up similar numbers in the next few seasons, but at 32 years old, he will soon wind down. It has been argued the Yankees should move Judge to first base to preserve him. However, the best thing the Yankees can do to help him is to sign Juan Soto.
Judge put up those offensive numbers while playing center field, a very demanding defensive position. He was a subpar defensive centerfielder but did make some outstanding plays out there. He is a great athlete who can handle demanding defensive positions now, but the future is looming and time waits for no man, not even the Captain of the New York Yankees. Ask Derek Jeter.
Conclusion
That Aaron Judge won the American League Most Valuable Player award is no surprise, he had a great season, and the voting does not account for the postseason where he struggled mightily. He is likely to win 2-4 total MVP Awards, but at 32 years of age, the sand is running through the top half of the hourglass. The Yankees need to take steps now to preserve and elongate the career of their Captain. Also, he needs to hit (and win) in the postseason to cement his legacy.
