The MLB AL MVP Award is given out annually to the best performing player in the American League. The players at the top of the American League are some of the league’s very best and brightest players. Here are the AL MVP Rankings for August.
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
ANOTHER Aaron Judge blast! Make it 43! 😱 pic.twitter.com/DANGZskoQE
— MLB (@MLB) August 1, 2022
Avg: .299
OBP: .384
SLG: .680
HR: 43
RBI: 93
2B: 17
K/BB: 115/53
WAR: 6.2
Aaron Judge’s 2022 campaign could go down as one of the greatest seasons of recent history. Definitely one of the best seasons since the Steroid Era that had Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa terrorizing the MLB. Judge has the potential to reach historic numbers when it comes to the home run. In 2001, Barry Bonds set the record for home runs in a season with 73 home runs. That season, Bonds had 42 home runs through 102 games. This season Aaron Judge has matched that with 42 home runs through the Yankees’ first 102 games. Judge is scorching hot right now and it’s a sight that baseball fans need to enjoy while we can.
Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
Shohei Ohtani has now appeared as a hitter in 500 MLB games.
He has 113 HR and an .880 OPS. 💪 pic.twitter.com/XnUTAMjjkr
— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2022
Avg: .255
OBP: .352
SLG: .495
HR: 22
RBI: 62
2B: 17
K/BB: 97/52
WAR: 5.2
W-L Record: 9-6
ERA: 2.81
WHIP: 1.02
Strikeouts: 145
Innings Pitched: 99.33
The two-way Japanese star has put together, yet another MVP-caliber season this year. He is amongst the MLB’s best at the plate and on the mound. Shohei Ohtani is actually putting up very similar stats to what he had last year, when he took home MVP in a landslide. He has yet to reach 100 innings, which doesn’t even qualify him among the qualified pitchers, yet he is in the top 10 in the MLB in strikeouts. He ranks among the league’s best in Barrel%, BB%, Max Exit Velo, Avg. Exit Velo, and xSLG. The one thing that is down for Ohtani, only slightly, is his home run numbers. He tallied 46 last year and only has 22 thus far. His average launch angle is down 4 degrees, from 16 to 12, which could explain this drop in home runs.
Yordan Alvarez, DH, Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez took a vacation in the middle of the season and still hit 30 bombs before August. pic.twitter.com/DBOjneqfHK
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) July 30, 2022
Avg: .307
OBP: .413
SLG: .663
HR: 30
RBI: 71
2B: 15
K/BB: 69/55
WAR: 4.9
Yordan Alvarez has put together a pretty incredible first 100+ games. Alvarez currently ranks 1st in the MLB in OPS and top 10 in RBI and home runs. He has boosted the Astros lineup among the league’s best, putting them in place to possibly take over the 1 seed in the AL. Alvarez has absolutely terrorized right-handed pitchers this season by posting a slash line of .330/.432/.731 against them. His consistency has been tremendous, and he looks to stay consistently great through the rest of the year.
Prediction: Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
This award could be given out to Aaron Judge right now. Nothing is going to happen over the next 50-60 to change this decision. Some analysts viewed Ohtani as the favorite at the All-Star break. But Judge heard them loud and clear. He has erupted since the break, going on a tear that baseball hasn’t seen since the infamous Steroid Era. Judge has a chance to hit 60 or 65 home runs this year, which would place him in the top 10 for most home runs ever in a season. His 2022 season is a legendary one. Enjoy it baseball fans, it might be a while before we get to see something like this again. Judge is the AL MVP.
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