Shohei Ohtani has been a dominant force in the American League, winning the MVP award unanimously twice in the last three years. However, the 2024 MVP race appears to be more wide open with Ohtani now in the National League, creating opportunities for other standout players.
One such player making a strong case for the MVP title is Aaron Judge, who previously won the award in 2022 with an impressive 62 home runs. Judge's exceptional performance has been instrumental in the New York Yankees' success, as he currently boasts a .361 batting average with 14 home runs in May.
Another strong contender for the MVP title is Judge's teammate, Juan Soto, who has been excelling in his first season with the Yankees after being the NL MVP runner-up in 2021.
Outside of New York, shortstops Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals have also been standout performers, ranking high in wins above replacement statistics. Henderson has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Orioles legend Cal Ripken by winning both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in consecutive seasons.
Despite a slow start, Houston Astros' Kyle Tucker has shown his MVP potential with 19 home runs before being sidelined due to injury. The Astros are aiming to bounce back and secure a spot in the AL postseason.
As for Ohtani, while he is not pitching this season following elbow surgery, his offensive contributions for the Los Angeles Dodgers have been noteworthy, with a .310 batting average, 15 home runs, and 14 stolen bases.
In a surprising turn of events, the 2024 season has seen a lower number of teams with winning records compared to previous years, with only 10 teams currently above .500. This trend could potentially impact playoff standings, with the possibility of sub-.500 teams making the postseason.
In other baseball news, Kevin Gausman's stellar performance for the Toronto Blue Jays, including a 10-strikeout shutout against the Oakland Athletics, stood out as the line of the week. Additionally, the Kansas City Royals staged an impressive comeback against the Seattle Mariners, overcoming an 8-0 deficit to secure a thrilling 10-9 victory.
Trivia enthusiasts may be interested to know that since Cal Ripken, three players have achieved the rare feat of winning MVP honors the year after being named Rookie of the Year: Ryan Howard (2005-06), Dustin Pedroia (2007-08), and Kris Bryant (2015-16).
