New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge won his third American League MVP Award on Thursday night, receiving 17 of the 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh finished second in the voting with 13 first-place votes, and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez finished third.
Judge won the Major League batting title with a.331 average, and is the 13th player in league history to be named MVP at least three times. Former Yankees who have won at least three MVPs include Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle.
Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman praise Judge
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman spoke about Judge shortly after New York's captain won his third MVP.
“I know I say this often when meeting with our media throughout the season, but I don’t ever want to become desensitized by the consistency and the enormity of his accomplishments," Boone told Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News about Judge. "It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to use words to capture how good he is. He’s just playing at a higher level, and has been for quite some time."
Cashman understands how lucky the Yankees are to have a player of Judge's caliber.
“He is a once-in-a-generation player who embodies so much of what is good about our game,” Cashman told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “Aaron is being celebrated again tonight, and rightfully so. He has blossomed into one of sports’ greatest superstars.”
Judge has accomplished many things throughout his 10-year career, but the one thing he's missing is a World Series ring. Next season, the Yankees will seek their first championship since 2009.