The MLB AL MVP Award is given out annually to the best performing player in the American League. The top of the American League has stayed pretty consistent, with each of these guys making an appearance on a previous AL MVP Rankings.
Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
Avg: .282
OBP: .352
SLG: .541
HR: 26
RBI: 106
2B: 39
K/BB: 57/51
WAR: 5.2
Jose Ramirez has been the best player on the Guardians roster, while pushing that team way past where anybody expected them to go this year. His impact goes way beyond the stat sheet. He has shown a tremendous ability to show patience at the plate, being one of the only players in the league with almost as many walks as he has strikeouts. Especially on this list, he has about half as many strikeouts as the other 2 players on this list. His ability to put the ball in play, tally extra base hits, and push his team towards the in column is one of the best in the MLB.
Shohei Ohtani, SP/DH, Los Angeles Angels
Avg: .268
OBP: .360
SLG: .526
HR: 30
RBI: 82
2B: 20
K/BB: 133/65
WAR: 7.3
W-L Record: 11-8
ERA: 2.67
WHIP: 1.06
Strikeouts: 176
Innings Pitched: 128.0
Shohei Ohtani is truly a generational talent. He is a true superstar with the baseball and with the bat. It seems like every week, Ohtani is breaking a record or doing something that hasn’t been done since the 1800’s. He is arguably having almost, if not a better, season than his runaway 2021 MVP campaign. Ohtani has been much better on the mound this year than last, placing himself among the best pitchers in the league this year. He is doing that while still slugging over 30 home runs and nearly 100 RBIs. It is truly sensational and once-in-a-lifetime what Shohei Ohtani does on a baseball field.
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
Avg: .294
OBP: .398
SLG: .661
HR: 52
RBI: 114
2B: 20
K/BB: 144/79
WAR: 7.8
This season, Aaron Judge has shown an incredibly rare combination of power and on-base ability. The fact that he is still a threat to slug 60 home runs, while his batting average is near .300 and his OBP is near .400 is unheard of. He is in one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball and he is still continuously avoided. Pitchers are still pitching around him. They would rather face Anthony Rizzo or Giancarlo Stanton than 2022 Aaron Judge. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, then I’m not sure what will.
Prediction: Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
Although Ohtani is a respectable option for this award, Aaron Judge is putting together a legendary season. Some writers and voters may value the ability that Ohtani is able to be a superstar at the plate and on the mound, and I completely agree. But it is almost unheard of for a player to put together a year like Judge is. Almost every other season, Ohtani would be a lock for the MVP award. But not this season. Aaron Judge is the 2022 AL MVP. If he hadn’t slowed down a bit, he might have one of the best seasons EVER. Yeah. It’s Judge.
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