There won’t be much drama regarding the announcement of the American League MVP award Thursday with Aaron Judge <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/21/sports/yankees-aaron-judge-set-to-snag-second-al-mvp-award/">set to capture the award</a> for the second time in three years.

In his age-32 season, Judge <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/10/03/sports/aaron-judge-shohei-ohtani-are-mlbs-runaway-mvps/">set career bests</a> for games played (158), hits (180), doubles (36), RBIs (144), walks (133), batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701), OPS (1.159), OPS-plus (223) and Baseball Reference WAR (10.8).

Somewhat alarmingly, Judge also set a career high by being walked intentionally 20 times as the Yankees struggled to find him protection from the cleanup spot.

Still, Judge had a lot more help in 2024 than he did in 2022, when Gleyber Torres was second in the lineup in bWAR at just 4.0.

How much of that improvement was the product of having a superstar like Soto hitting in front of Judge?{ai:summary}<p>Aaron Judge is expected to win the American League MVP award for the second time in three years. In the 2024 season, he achieved career highs in several categories, including hits, RBIs, and batting average, while also facing increased intentional walks due to lineup protection issues.</p><p>Despite the challenges, Judge had more support in 2024 compared to 2022, when the Yankees struggled offensively. His performance has solidified his status as a top player in the league. #sports</p>

The Yankees can’t count on an essential part of Aaron Judge’s MVP year happening again

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