New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has won the 2024 American League MVP Award. It is the second MVP for Judge, who won the award via a unanimous vote. Judge learned of his MVP win on MLB Network and took some time to discuss the honor.
“Not really,” Judge responded when asked if winning the MVP unanimously matters to him. “I appreciate all the votes, all the support. If you win it, you win it, but I honestly wouldn’t be in this position without my teammates, all the coaching we had this year. This is such a blessing. I gotta thank God everyday for this opportunity to be here and wear pinstripes and do it in New York.”
Judge, 32, last won the AL MVP in 2022. He spent that offseason deciding whether or not he would return to the Yankees in MLB free agency. The slugger was linked to multiple teams, but Judge ultimately returned to New York.
The 2023 season was difficult for the Yankees, but New York bounced back in 2024 and reached the World Series. Although the Yankees fell short of a Fall Classic victory, Judge still enjoyed a remarkable 2024 season.
Aaron Judge slashed .322/.458/.701/1.159 across 158 games played. He added 58 home runs, 36 doubles, 144 RBI and 122 runs scored.
Judge led the league in WAR (10.8), home runs, RBI, walks (133), OBP, slugging, OPS, and OPS+ (223).
“It’s funny, I was talking to (Bryce) Harper a lot this season,” Judge said on MLB Network. “I was telling him, ‘man, I’m going to try to catch up to you on these MVPs here.’ He said hopefully he can stay a couple ahead of me which I think he will do… It (winning a second MVP) means a lot.”
Judge also gave Bobby Witt Jr. and Juan Soto shoutouts, as they finished second and third in MVP voting.
Aaron Judge is a true superstar
Many players who have won MVP awards over the years fail to develop consistency and the peak of their careers are quite short. Judge, meanwhile, is already a six-time All-Star and two-time MVP winner. He is establishing himself as a true superstar and arguably the best player in the game. Of course, Shohei Ohtani, who won the National League MVP, is also in that conversation.
Judge said he learned how to find success in New York by watching Yankees legend Derek Jeter.
“Being in New York, watching Derek Jeter for so many years and talking with him is, you know, he played every single game, every single season like somebody was coming for his job,” Judge said. “He kind of passed that down onto the next generation… It doesn’t matter if you’re at the top or wherever you’re at, someone is always coming for you. Someone is always coming for that spot. So you gotta put in the work, you gotta continue to make changes, you gotta continue to try to improve yourself until they rip this jersey off you.”
Aaron Judge will probably win another MVP or two before he retires. However, his primary goal is to lead the Yankees to their first championship since 2009. Perhaps Judge can accomplish that goal in 2025.
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