After combining for 99 home runs in the regular season and leading the Yankees to the AL East title with a 94-68 record, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been named 2024 American League MVP Award finalists.
Kansas City Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was named the third finalist.
Judge is the favorite to claim the award as the slugger led the league in most statistical categories, finishing with 58 home runs, 144 RBI, a .322 batting average .458 OBP, .701 SLG, and 1.159 OPS. It was the best slash line of his career, leading to a career-high 10.8 WAR.
If Judge wins, it’ll be his second career MVP following his record-setting 2022 season. He finished second in MVP voting during the 2017 season, 12th in 2018, fourth in 2021, and 15th last season when he was limited to 106 games.
Soto dazzled in his first, and potentially only season in the Bronx, recording a career-high 166 hits with 41 homers (also a career-high) with 109 RBI — tied for the second most in his career, one shy of his 110 in 2019.
While Soto has won nearly every other accolade in his first seven MLB seasons, including a World Series title, he is still searching for an MVP. He finished ninth in 2019, fifth in 2020, second in 2021, and sixth last year while with the San Diego Padres.
Witt, 24, burst onto the scene last year in his second MLB season with a ninth-place finish in MVP voting. He took another step forward in 2024, improving in nearly every category, including a league-leading 211 hits. He also led the American League with a .332 batting average.
The MVP of each league will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 21. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte, and Mets’ Francisco Lindor were named finalists for the NL MVP.
Two finalists for AL Rookie of the Year
Judge and Soto weren’t the only Yankees to be nominated for a 2024 season award, as both Luis Gil and Austin Wells were named finalists for the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser was the third finalist for the award.
Gil went 15-7 over 29 starts with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts over 151.2 IP. He was nearly unbeatable from the start of the season until June 20, going 9-1 over his first 14 starts.
Wells ended up playing in 115 games for the Yanks, taking over Jose Trevino‘s spot as the starting catcher. The 25-year-old hit .229 with 13 home runs, 18 doubles, and 55 RBI. He owned a .988 fielding percentage and caught 22 runners stealing.
The Rookies of the Year will be announced on Monday, Nov. 18. Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio, San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, and Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes are finalists in the NL.
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