Aaron Judge is doing things playing the game of baseball you just don’t witness. The dude is a machine. He’s a machine that is well on his way to winning his second AL MVP award. He finished that 2022 MVP season with 62 homers. He’s at 51 right now with 30 games to go. The only other name somewhat in the conversation is Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals shortstop is having an unbelievable season, but won’t come close to what Judge finishes with. No debate on this one.
Shohei Ohtani is in the driver’s seat in the NL MVP race, but Francisco Lindor is putting himself in the conversation. The argument for Lindor is he is essentially carrying the Mets this season and he plays the field — at a Gold Glove level. The problem is that it might not be enough to get the Mets to the playoffs. Ohtani will likely have the Dodgers winning the NL West and on a quest for a championship. He’s also likely to finish with 50 homers and well over 100 RBIs. A monster September and trip to the playoffs from Lindor and the Mets will make it at least worth a conversation.
Another race that may not end up close is the NL Manager of the Year. What Pat Murphy has done in his first season at the helm for the Brewers is remarkable. They are 75-55 and have a 10-game lead in the NL Central. They are going to win the division with ease and do it with numerous injuries to some of their best players, including Christian Yelich and Brandon Woodruff. Murphy deserves a ton of credit for his team overcoming adversity and winning games without a star-studded cast of characters.
Murphy talked about it this week on “The Show” podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman.
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