For the second time in three years, Aaron Judge is the American League's Most Valuable Player.
The Yankee captain was announced as this year's winner on Thursday evening, becoming the first Yankee to win multiple MVPs since Alex Rodriguez in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Other Yankees to take home the award multiple times in their careers include Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Roger Maris.
Judge, seen as the clear favorite to win the award in 2024, enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons in Yankee history, and one of the best in league history by a right-handed hitter. The Yankee captain smacked 58 home runs and drove in 144 while posting a robust 1.159 OPS. Per OPS+, Judge was 123 percent better than league average at the plate in 2024, a mark that was even better than his historic 62-homer campaign in 2022.
Even with a slow April, Judge wound up leading the league in WAR, home runs, RBI, walks, on-base percentage, OPS, and total bases, all while playing a respectable center field, a secondary position for him.
Judge was a monster with men on base in 2024, batting .336 with a 1.219 OPS with runners in scoring position, and consistently came up clutch in the regular season, logging a .945 OPS in late and close games, and a 1.104 OPS when the game was tied.
Teammate Juan Soto came in third in the MVP voting, while Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. finished in second place.