Superstar outfielder Aaron Judge just won his second consecutive American League MVP award and the third in his 10-year career with the New York Yankees.
The first-place vote came down to a tight race between Judge and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who enjoyed a historic season on the Mariners' first trip to the ALCS since 2001.
If Judge continues at this pace offensively, it may be hard to dethrone him. Still, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz may have as good a chance as any other player in the league to swipe the award from Judge in 2026. Kurtz unanimously won the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year, earning all 30 first-place votes.
Kurtz has a promising future
Kurtz had a tremendous year for an Athletics club that featured an underrated lineup. The 2024 first-round draft pick from Wake Forest University had 5.4 wins above replacement in just 117 games. Considering what he accomplished at such a young age, the left-handed hitter has a bright future.
"You might think this is too early and too soon, but did you see what this guy did in 2025? In only 117 games, Kurtz had 36 homers and put up slash numbers that rivaled Judge’s in every way," MLB.com's Will Leitch wrote Monday.
"At the age of 22, Judge played the whole season at Single-A and High-A; Kurtz put up a 1.002 OPS in the big leagues and, oh yeah, had a game in which he racked up six hits and four homers. Why can’t this kid get better? And it already only takes him getting a little bit better to get to where Judge is right now."
The Athletics may have struck gold with their selection of Kurtz just one summer ago. He has the talent to win multiple MVPs in what should be a lengthy career.
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