At this point, it’s hard to imagine somebody not named Aaron Judge winning the American League MVP Award at the end of this season.
Sure, Shohei Ohtani has put together yet another solid season, but it doesn’t quite compare to Judge, who is hitting .300 and already has 46 home runs and 100 RBI on the season.
The New York Yankees slugger has done a little bit of everything this year, and his stats show why he might be the unanimous choice to win the award.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today certainly thinks so, and he didn’t hesitate to say as much on Twitter, bringing up a good point about the award.
The #Yankees are in first place. The #Angels are in 4th. Most VALUABLE Player award, not best player award.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 15, 2022
Most Valuable, Not Best
While Ohtani may be the best player in all of baseball right now, his stats don’t quite compare to Judge, who is on pace to shatter the 60-home run mark at the end of this season.
Nightengale’s point about the award is interesting, but also true.
It’s about who is the most valuable, which doesn’t always account for who is best.
Even if it did, Judge has put on a show this year and has been one the key factors in the Yankees run of success.
Judge’s 1.076 OPS is the best in all of baseball, ahead of Yordan Alvarez and Paul Goldschmidt, who are tied at 1.025.
Judge has been almost impossible for pitchers to get out this season.
Ohtani is a two-way player who can hit home runs and pitch like an ace, but as Nightengale points out, the Los Angeles Angels are in fourth place and are well out of postseason contention.
The Yankees on the other hand, lead the American League East by a wide margin
