Sure, there is still plenty of time in the race for American League Most Valuable Player in a likely two-man race against Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. However, when the Yankees have needed him the most, Judge has put the team on his back, adding to his MVP resume.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is once again hitting like the American League MVP
As the AL East lead for the New York Yankees shrunk to just four games over the Tampa Bay Rays on September 3 and panic began to take over Yankees Twitter, Judge once again began cooking at the plate. That hot streak included hitting his 54th home run of the season in a Labor Day win over the Minnesota Twins, his third consecutive contest with a homer, putting him on pace to hit 65 this season and surpass the club record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.
Just how hot has Judge been at the plate, and how much have the Yankees needed him to keep their plans intact for winning the division? Take a look at the numbers below.
The New York #Yankees’ last 39 innings:
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 5, 2022
Aaron Judge: 8 hits, 2 doubles, 4 HRs, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored.
The rest of the Yankees’ team:
7 hits, 1 2B, 2 HRs, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored.#MVP
Judge has now tied Alex Rodriguez for the most home runs in a season by a right-handed hitter, with Rodriguez accomplishing the feat in 2007, the same year he earned the AL MVP award. Could that be a foreshadowing of what is to come for Judge?
And, of course, Judge isn’t done yet. With 27 games left in the regular season and Judge in a groove at the plate right now, his hitting could well spell individual and team success in the coming weeks.
Will Judge’s power be able to overcome Ohtani’s dual threat as a hitter and pitcher in the minds of the MVP voters? If the Yankees keep winning and Judge keeps hitting as he is, it certainly seems like a very real possibility.