After joining the New York Yankees in an off-season blockbuster trade, Juan Soto has made the most of his short time in the Bronx.
Now that we’re roughly two weeks into the season, it’s time to take a way-too-early look at the race for MVP in the American League and the National League.
Can Shohei Ohtani become just the second player in MLB history to win MVP in both leagues, or will Ronald Acuna Jr. go back-to-back? Let’s take a look at the leading AL and NL MVP candidates.
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American League MVP
Juan Soto joined the New York Yankees in an off-season blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres and he has made the most of his short time in the Bronx. Across his first 13 games with the Yankees, Soto has posted a .360 batting average with two home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.008 OPS. The 25-year-old outfielder is coming off a career-year that saw him finish with 156 hits, 35 home runs and 109 RBI. Soto projects to put up even bigger numbers on a stacked Yankees roster, so +350 to win AL MVP might be a bargain come July or August.
Aaron Judge won AL MVP in 2022 when he had one of the best offensive seasons in Major League history, hitting an American League-record 62 home runs. His numbers trailed off last season as he dealt with injury issues and he’s struggled early this season, so you might get better value if you wait to bet on Judge. Through 45 at bats in 2024, Judge is hitting .178 with a .744 OPS and just eight hits. At +650 to win MVP, I’m avoiding Judge.
Yordan Alvarez has been crucial to Houston’s success over the last few years and he’s stayed hot in 2024. Alvarez is batting .340 with four home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.020 OPS over 14 games. Most of Alvarez’ success has come in his most recent games. The left-hander has recorded at least one hit in six of his last seven games, batting a ridiculous .517 with four homers, three doubles and 11 RBI over that stretch. Alvarez is a value pick at +900 to win AL MVP.
National League MVP
Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts has already accomplished almost everything you can as a baseball player. In 2018, while with the Red Sox, he became the first player in MLB history to win win the MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title and World Series in the same season. Through 15 games this season, Betts is hitting .364 with five home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.234 OPS. I don’t see Betts slowing down anytime soon.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is coming off a monster 2023 season that earned him his first career NL MVP. The Atlanta Braves superstar became the fifth MLB member of the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases), he set a modern-era franchise record with 73 stolen bases and he became the first MLB player ever to hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 70 bases in a single season. Acuna is still looking for his first homer of 2024 while batting just .238, so the smart move might be to wait for a better price for Acuna to win MVP.
Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch this season, so he can’t rely on his two-way superstar status, but the 2021 and 2023 AL MVP still has a good shot to win MVP in the National League with just his bat. Ohtani’s first year with the Dodgers has been a nightmare off the field, but that hasn’t affected his performance at the plate. After 63 at bats, Ohtani is hitting .333 with three home runs, eight RBI and a 1.012 OPS. The big question is, how will Ohtani be viewed now that he isn’t pitching?
