The New York Yankees’ strong 2024 campaign was spearheaded by veteran star center fielder Aaron Judge. Judge’s offensive dominance helped the Yankees make a stout regular season run and advance to the World Series. Thus, he won his second American League MVP award. Judge joined elite company with the honor, including the likes of former MLB stars Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig.
Judge became just the third Yankees player to win an MVP while serving as an active Yankees captain since MLB first started officially recognizing the award in 1991, per ESPN. He joined former franchise stars Thurman Munson and Lou Gehrig.
In addition, Judge became the second Yankees player to win a unanimous MVP alongside Mickey Mantle, the MLB announced.
Aaron Judges’ 2024 run was one of the best of his professional tenure. He played a career-high 158 games, batting a personal-best average of .322, along with 58 home runs, 144 RBI, and a 1.159 OPS. Judge helped New York finish the season with a 94-68 record, which placed them at the top of the AL East standings.
The Yankees’ finish was a substantial improvement from 2023 when they finished with an 82-80 record and missed the postseason. New York nearly won another championship in 2024, but Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers got in their way.
The Dodgers won the series 4-1 after an impressive team effort. Ohtani won the American League MVP award for his stellar regular season contributions. The star designated hitter became the first player in MLB history to achieve a 50-home-run-50-bases-stolen base season.
Ohtani’s Dodgers squad is talented, but Aaron Judge and the Yankees are devising a plan to overcome LA and the rest of the stout competition in the league. With Judge remaining on the squad, New York has a great chance to go far again in 2025.
The Yankees are amid an eventful offseason that could see them retain some of the best talent in the league.
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