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New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was recently named an MVP finalist for the second time in his career. He was first a finalist after an incredible 2017 season in which the award was given to Jose Altuve.
Following an 11.4 fWAR campaign, the outfielder is hoping to parlay his season into the ultimate individual award. He's competing with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros for the American League MVP. Those two also had stellar seasons, but the Yankees star is currently the favorite to win.
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MLB fans reacted to the news, with many of them feeling Judge should have had an MVP already in his career. Others think it will only increase the Yankees' need to sign him to a long-term contract.
Judge is currently the firm favorite to take home the award. He has -10,000 odds, while the next closest (Ohtani) is at +2,500, according to Vegas Insider.
Why Aaron Judge should win his first MVP award this year
There is a strong case that Judge should have beaten Altuve in his rookie season. He was worth 1.2 fWAR more than the Astros second baseman and was superior in a lot of statistical areas.
This time around, he's left no doubt as to who should win. It will be difficult for voters to ignore the fact that he broke the American League home run record, a record many fans hold in higher regard than Barry Bonds' total of 73.
It will also be very difficult to ignore the sheer lead in fWAR over his counterparts. Alvarez posted a 6.6 fWAR and Ohtani's combined fWAR was 9.4. Both those numbers pale in comparison to the 11.4 the Yankees star posted.
He wasn't a Gold Glove level defender this season as he was about average in the outfield. Despite that, he produced such high offensive numbers that his overall value was extremely high.
There's a case to be made for Ohtani and for Alvarez, but voting for one of them would require voters to ignore too many factors in favor of the new home run king.
It probably won't be unanimous, but Judge should finally get the prestigious award he nearly earned all those years ago.
