Last year, MLB saw an incredible, one-of-a-kind season by Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, one that earned him the AL MVP in a unanimous vote, even though Vladimir Guerrero Jr., had a truly amazing season.
This time, however, the race for the MVP in the junior circuit should be a lot closer.
“MLB AL MVP Race: Aaron Judge — 4.0 fWAR — .981 OPS — 178 OPS+ — -2 DRS, 2 OAA. Rafael Devers — 4.1 fWAR — .962 OPS — 163 OPS+ — -3 DRS, -2 OAA. José Ramírez — 3.9 fWAR — .966 OPS — 174 OPS+ — 0 DRS, -2 OAA,” StatMuse tweeted.
MLB AL MVP Race🔥🔥
Aaron Judge
— 4.0 fWAR
— .981 OPS
— 178 OPS+
— -2 DRS, 2 OAARafael Devers
— 4.1 fWAR
— .962 OPS
— 163 OPS+
— -3 DRS, -2 OAAJosé Ramírez
— 3.9 fWAR
— .966 OPS
— 174 OPS+
— 0 DRS, -2 OAA@AmericanLgMuse pic.twitter.com/cQd5tXjF3m— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 5, 2022
For reference, fWAR means FanGraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement, DRS means Defensive Runs Saved, and OAA stands for Outs Above Average, which is Statcast’s go-to defensive metric.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees leads the league with 29 home runs and has been amazing for the AL East-leading Bombers.
Five Legitimate Candidates
Devers, on the other hand, has been just as good for the surging Boston Red Sox.
Let’s not forget about Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez, who has been performing at an MVP level for years and may be deserving of his first award.
All three have been nothing short of amazing.
However, the race is so close that we are forgetting about two names.
Ohtani himself hasn’t been quite as sharp as last year, but he has thrived at both pitching and hitting and as long as he is doing that, he is on a tier of his own.
And last, but not least, Yordan Alvarez has lifted the Houston Astros to new heights and is a strong candidate to win, with a .310 average and 24 home runs to his name.
With five legitimate candidates, the AL MVP race will be a blast in 2022.
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