Yankees' Aaron Judge wins second AL MVP Award after historic 2024 season

NEW YORK — For the second time in three years, Aaron Judge turned a historic season into an MVP trophy.

The Yankees captain was named the 2024 AL MVP on Thursday, an expected result after he led the majors in nearly every major offensive category.

Judge received all 30 of the first-place votes, with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. placing second after sweeping the second-place votes, and Yankee teammate Juan Soto finishing third.

The 32-year-old Judge led MLB hitters with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, 133 walks, a .458 on-base percentage, a .701 slugging percentage and a 1.159 OPS.

His .322 average ranked third in the majors and was only 10 points behind Witt’s MLB-leading .332 mark.

And Judge did it while primarily playing center field, one of baseball’s most demanding defensive positions, where he moved this season to accommodate the arrival of Soto in right field.

“It’s crazy to see a guy hit a homer day after day,” Soto said of Judge in August. “It’s incredible. I’ve never seen somebody hit so many homers so consistently.”

Judge became the first player to record at least 140 RBIs in a season since 2009, while his 1.159 OPS was the highest by a center fielder since Mickey Mantle posted a 1.177 OPS in 1957.

His prolific production helped lead the Yankees to an AL East title and a league-best 94-68 record.

“I couldn’t be happier for such an amazing person and leader,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday in a statement. “After having a front-row seat for his 2022 MVP performance, I really couldn’t envision a player having a better and more complete baseball season. But that’s exactly what he accomplished in 2024.”

This is the second MVP Award for Judge, who won the honor in 2022 after hitting an AL single-season record 62 home runs.

Judge finished as the AL MVP runner-up in 2017 after hitting 52 home runs as a rookie. The MVP that year went to Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve.

With Thursday’s award, Judge became the seventh player to win two MVPs with the Yankees, joining Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez.

The 2024 National League MVP went unanimously to Shohei Ohtani, whose Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Judge’s Yankees in five games in the World Series. Now a three-time MVP, Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases during the regular season for the first 50-50 campaign in MLB history.

Judge, the Yankees’ No. 3 hitter this year, benefited from hitting behind Soto, who struck a career-high 41 home runs and recorded 109 RBIs in his first — and possibly only — season in pinstripes.

Acquired in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres last December, Soto batted .288 and ranked second in the AL with a .419 on-base percentage and a .988 OPS. Soto, 26, is now a free agent who is expected to command a record-setting contract.

The 24-year-old Witt, meanwhile, delivered a breakout campaign for the Royals in his third MLB season, leading the majors with 211 hits while recording 32 home runs, 109 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and a .977 OPS to go along with his batting title.

Witt helped elevate the Royals from a 56-win season in 2023 to an 86-76 record and a wild-card berth this year.

Judge was named MVP three days after teammate Luis Gil won AL Rookie of the Year honors. The right-handed Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 151 2/3 innings this season.