MLB MVP 2022: Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt Win AL, NL Awards
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt won the 2022 AL and NL MVP awards, respectively, on Thursday.
Judge was always the favorite to win this award in the American League, even if Shohei Ohtani made it a memorable race. The Yankees slugger hit .311 with 62 homers, 131 RBI, 133 runs, 16 stolen bases and a 1.111 OPS.
He led the American League in home runs, RBI, runs, OPS, WAR (10.6) and total bases (391), amongst a number of other stats.
He also led the Yankees to the postseason, something Ohtani couldn't do for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani's offensive numbers paled in comparison to Judge (.273 with 34 homers, 95 RBI, 90 runs, 11 stolen bases and a .875 OPS). That isn't even really a knock on Ohtani—everybody in baseball paled in comparison at the plate to Judge this year.
But Ohtani's case centered around the fact that he was also brilliant on the mound, finishing 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 28 starts and 166 innings. The defending MVP finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting—again, from the player who also hit 34 dingers!—and his 9.6 WAR was second in the American League.
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez was an afterthought in the running, though he probably will comfort himself with his World Series ring from this past season. The final AL finalist had himself a season, hitting .306 with 37 homers, 97 RBI, 95 runs and a 1.019 OPS. His 6.8 WAR was fourth in the American League.
In most seasons, he would have made a very convincing case to win the MVP. But Judge and Ohtani both had historic seasons, making it a two-man race. Ultimately, Judge won out.
In the National League, Goldschmidt was the favorite and narrowly held off his own teammate, Nolan Arenado. It's his first MVP after finishing twice second and third once.
Goldschmidt was a monster at the plate, hitting .317 with 35 home runs, 115 RBI, 106 runs and a league-leading .981 WHIP. He finished second in the Gold Glove running at first base and his 7.8 WAR was third in the NL.
His teammate Arenado, who finished third in the MVP voting, did win a Gold Glove at third base, his 10th in a row, and hit .293 with 30 homers, 103 RBI, 73 runs and a .891 OPS. His 7.9 WAR was second in the NL.
San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was third in the running, hitting .298 with 32 homers, 102 RBI, 100 runs and an .898 OPS. He was fourth in the NL in WAR at 6.8.
Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara led the NL in WAR at 8.0.
