Aaron Judge, the star outfielder for the New York Yankees, was undoubtedly the top hitter in the American League for the 2024 season. His dominance was perfectly reflected in the AL Most Valuable Player voting, announced on Thursday. The award was decided by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, with former Yankees captain Derek Jeter making the live announcement on MLB Network.
Judge, 32, had an extraordinary season, posting a .322 batting average, 58 home runs, and 144 RBIs, leading the Yankees to an AL-best 94 wins. He received all 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA voters. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. earned all 30 second-place votes, while Judge’s teammate, Juan Soto, finished third with 21 third-place votes, ahead of Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson, who came in fourth.
In his remarks after the win, Judge expressed gratitude, saying, “I honestly wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates, all the coaching we had this year. This is such a blessing. I have to thank God every day to be here, wear pinstripes, and be here in New York.” This marks Judge’s second AL MVP award, as he previously won in 2022. “It means a lot,” he added. “There’s a lot of hard work in the offseason, during the season, the ups and downs throughout it, and just the constant support from teammates, the fans in New York — just everybody to help me get to this spot.”
