Yankees' Aaron Judge bests Shohei Ohtani for AL MVP

Aaron Judge‘s historic season has earned him the biggest individual honor possible.

The New York Yankees slugger was named the American League MVP on Thursday, winning the award after hitting a league-breaking 62 home runs in 2022. He beat out Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, who won the award last season. Judge received 28 of the 30 first-place votes while Ohtani received the other two.

Judge’s selection marks the 23rd time a Yankee has won MVP.

Shohei Ohtani & Aaron Judge AL MVP Finalists: Who takes the crown?

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry discuss their prediction for the 2023 MLB Awards for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year, highlighted by rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez, Aaron Judge, Sandy Alcantara, Justin Verlander and Paul Goldschmidt, AND who they believed was snubbed!

In addition to chasing the AL’s all-time home run record, Judge also chased the Triple Crown, but fell just short. He led the league in RBI (131) but was second in batting average (.311), losing to the Twins Luis Arraez by .005.

While Judge had one of the best hitting seasons in recent history, several thought Ohtani had a strong case to win back-to-back MVPs after another dominant two-way season. Ohtani hit .273 with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs at the plate while going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts.

Judge will look to capitalize off his MVP season in free agency. The slugger officially became a free agent earlier this month after his contract with the Yankees expired. He turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension prior to the season and is expected to sign a contract that will likely be one of the richest in MLB history.