Will Yankees\’ Aaron Judge Become AL MVP 2022?

The New York Yankees had a brilliant start to the 2022 campaign as everything seemed to go perfectly. The Bombers led the AL East table with a dominating 64-28 record heading into the All-Star break. However, one of the major reasons behind the Yankees\’ success was their slugger, Aaron Judge, who created a new record by hitting 33 home runs before the break. Thus, with the form Judge has shown in the season, he is the top contender for the 2022 AL East MVP award this season. 

While the Yankees have struggled since the All-Star break, losing 10 of their last 12 games, Aaron Judge has continued his domination. The four-time MLB MVP has already hit 13 more home runs in the last 20 games since the All-Star break. Thus, the three-time Silver Slugger winner has an opportunity to hit the 60 homers mark as he continues to improve with each game.

Moreover, Judge does not have many opponents on his way to winning another All-Star title. The AL MVP battle looked three-way before the break, with Yodan Alvarez and Shohei Ohtani performing well. Alvarez seemed to be having a better offensive run than Aaron as he hit .306/.405/.653, including 26 home runs. His weighed runs wielded plus wRC+ figure of over 200. The mark had been reached only nine times in MLB since 1950. However, the 2022 All-Star missed seven games recently with a hand injury and has slowed down a bite in his offense. 

Thus, the three-way fight looks like a two-way between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The LA Angels all-rounder has fone 10-7 in 11 innings with 157 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.68. Moreover, the 28-year-old has produced an ERA of 1.70 in his last ten starts. However, Judge seems to have improved since the All-Star break. He is hitting .403 and has extended his home runs record to 46 and 100 RBI. Moreover, his wRC+ has exceeded 200. Thus, Aaron is set to be the clear-cut AL East MVP in 2022.

MLB Expert Names Aaron Judge As The Unanimous AL East MVP

Recently, USA Today\’s Bob Nightengale claimed that Aaron Judge would win the MVP award in the American League East division this year. Bob pointed out that the award was not for the best player but for the most valuable player.

The #Yankees are in first place. The #Angels are in 4th. Most VALUABLE Player award, not best player award. https://t.co/zDqncz5DmH

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 15, 2022

The MLB expert reckoned that Barry Bonds should have won the MVP if the league went by the best players\’ standards. However, in terms of value, Judge is undoubtedly the unanimous AL East MVP winner. Further, comparing Judge and Ohtani, Nightengale told that the Yankees were first in the league while the Angels were fourth. Hence, Judge clearly deserved the achievement by a big margin.