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Shohei Ohtani took home the American League MVP a season ago as he belted 46 home runs and pitched magnificently, becoming the first two-way player to win the award. Ohtani is looking to repeat this season and is most certainly a contender.
This article will look at the top 5 American League MVP front-runners so far this season. Will Ohtani make the list? Let's get started.
5 front runners for the American League MVP Award
#5 Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels OF
Taylor Ward is the most surprising player on the list. Ward is in his fifth season and has had a breakout performance so far this season. Ward is batting .367 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. Ward leads the league in both batting average and on-base percentage. While these numbers will likely not be held for 162 games, Ward is nonetheless deserving of a spot as an early front runner.
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#4 Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox, SS
Xander Bogaerts comes in at #4 for the early front-runner for the American League MVP. Bogaerts is batting .345 with an .862 OPS.
"Since the start of 2019, Xander Bogaerts is hitting .306 with an .896 OPS. There are only four other qualified players in baseball hitting at least .300 with an .890 OPS or better over that span (Mike Trout, Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman, Ketel Marte)" - @ Jared Carrabis
Bogaerts has been one of the best hitters in baseball the past few seasons and his stats show for it.
#3 Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians, 3B
Jose Ramirez leads all of baseball with 30 RBIs this season, and it is good enough to be third on the front-runner MVP list. Ramirez is batting .297 with seven home runs and has an OPS of .996.
#2 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees OF
Aaron Judge is off to an incredible start to his 2022 season. Judge leads all of baseball with 11 home runs and is batting .296 with 26 RBIs. Judge is one of the most feared hitters in baseball and has earned the #2 spot on the list.
#1 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, OF
Mike Trout comes in at #1 on the American League MVP list. Trout is back from injury after missing most of last season and appears to be just as good as, if not better than he was before. This season, Trout is batting .337 with nine home runs and 19 runs batted in. Trout hands down is the MVP through the first part of the season.
