For the second time in his career and for the second time in the last three seasons, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
He became the sixth Yankee to win multiple Most Valuable Player awards, as well as the first since Alex Rodriguez in 2005 and 2007. Judge won the award unanimously for the second time in his career.
“I want to congratulate Aaron on earning this distinguished honor, and I couldn’t be happier for such an amazing person and leader,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “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. I’m beyond fortunate to be able to manage Aaron, and I look forward to watching him further cement his legacy as one of this generation’s greatest players.”
Judge followed up a season in which he missed nearly 60 games due to injuries with arguably the best season of his career. He connected on 58 home runs and 144 RBI, with an OBP of .458, a slugging percentage of .701, and an OPS of 1.159. All five of those stats were the best in the majors in 2024. Judge’s 144 walks and 10.8 WAR were also the best in MLB in 2024.
Judge’s MVP award adds to a plethora of accolades in the 2024 season, including his sixth All-Star appearance, fourth Silver Slugger award, third 50-plus home-run season, second Hank Aaron Award, and third all-MLB team.
“If you win it, you win it,” Judge said after winning the award. “I wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates and all the coaching we had this year. It’s such a blessing; I gotta thank god every day for this opportunity to be here, wear pinstripes, and do it in New York.”
