New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge continues to receive praise following his historic 2024 season.
On Saturday, Judge was voted MLB Player of the Year by his peers. Judge defeated fellow finalist Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals) and World Series rival Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). The award is determined by a secret ballot of MLB players and was first presented in 1998. The award winner will receive the total prize amount, which will be donated to the charity of their choice.
Judge was also named AL Player of the Year over Witt and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez. This will be the second time since 2022 that the judges have won both awards in the same season.
The Yankees captain had a truly historic season at the plate, hitting .322/.458/.701 with a 1.159 OPS and 58 home runs. Baseball Reference ranked it as the sixth-best offensive year in MLB history by offensive WAR with a score of 11.7. It was the greatest offensive performance in history by a hitter other than Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds.
Ohtani, to no one’s surprise, won the National League Player of the Year award. He and Judge are also clear favorites to win their respective MVP awards. This is Ohtani’s third time winning the Player of the Year award, having previously won with the American League’s Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023.
Tariq Skubal of the Detroit Tigers was named the AL’s Most Outstanding Pitcher, and Boston’s Tyler O’Neal won the AL Player of the Year Award. In the National League, Atlanta’s Chris Sale won both the National League’s Outstanding Pitcher Award and the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Baltimore’s Colton Cowser and San Diego’s Jackson Merrill were named their respective leagues’ Outstanding Rookies.
Reece Hoskins of Milwaukee won both the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award and the Philanthropist of the Year Award. Mr. Hoskins has raised more than $1 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
If Judge wins both awards in 2022, he will also win the AL MVP trophy. MLB will announce each league’s BBWAA MVP award on November 21, 2024.