Because of the way the season ended, and the way his season ended, some may have forgotten what a year Aaron Judge had.
This year will be the year in which he is expected to win the American League MVP award for the second time in three seasons.
The judges, teammate Juan Soto and Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. will be among the three finalists for the top award, which will be announced Thursday night.
The favorite, Judge, could become the seventh Yankee player to win multiple MVP awards, joining Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees captain led the baseball world in many aspects, including home runs (58), RBIs (144), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701), and OPS (1.159). He threatened to break the franchise home run record of 62 set in 2022 before finishing the regular season relatively quietly.
He might have been on the verge of winning his third straight MVP award if he hadn't slammed his foot into the concrete foundation of the Dodger Stadium wall in 2023.
Judge made Major League history two seasons ago. And we just created a campaign that's even better in many ways.
“We're looking at some of the greatest players in history right now, really. [with] That's what we're looking at,'' manager Aaron Boone said after Judge's No. 58 home run. “Obviously his power speaks for itself, but he takes great pride in being a well-rounded hitter. Like many great players in any sport… He works hard every year to become even a little better at baseball.
“I don't want to exaggerate and say he went to another level. [when he] He hit 62 home runs and won the MVP award. I don't know if it's on a different level, but is he a little bit better hitter today than he was back then? I think the answer is yes. ”
Judge's main competition this year will be Witt, who did his best for the Royals.
The 24-year-old won a Gold Glove Award for his work as a shortstop, leading baseball with a .332 batting average, a .977 OPS, and 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 161 games.
Kansas City made it to the playoffs as a wild card, but lost to the Yankees in the ALDS.
Soto had the greatest walk year in baseball history, but he was still somewhat overshadowed by Judge.
The right fielder had an OPS of .989, hit a career-high 41 home runs, and led the AL with 128 RBIs.
Unless there's a Stunner, the judges will probably win by hardware. But more important to the judge is the hardware on which he and his team failed to win.
The Yankees missed out on winning the World Series, losing in five games to the Dodgers, and were defeated in the final game mainly due to three mistakes, including a dropped ball by Judge.
In 14 playoff games, Judge had 9 hits in 49 at bats (.184), 3 home runs, 20 strikeouts, and a .752 OPS.
By the end of the series against the Dodgers, his bat had woken up, but it was too late.
Although unlikely, Francisco Lindor could become the first Mets MVP in history.
After a great two-way season, the club's shortstop is a finalist along with the Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte and heavy favorite Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers superstar had an offensively dominant season, hitting 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases, becoming the first player in history to go 50-50 and will almost certainly be awarded the MVP on Thursday, but Tommy・Defense by players returning from John surgery was not included.
Lindor, on the other hand, typically excels at premium positions, often leading the Mets to first a playoff berth and then the National League CS on an astonishing run, hitting 33 home runs, 29 stolen bases, and an .844 OPS in 152 games. He left a record of
