With teams playing their final regular-season series this weekend, awards talk is starting to heat up. There are plenty of players who have made a case for themself to take home some hardware this year.
However, for the case of American League MVP, it really only comes down to two names – Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. The two have been going absolutely nuclear at the plate this year.
Cal Raleigh goes into Friday's game with an MLB-leading 60 home runs, and he became the first catcher in MLB history to achieve 60 home runs in a single season. Judge, on the other hand, sits with 51 home runs, but edges out Raleigh in a few other areas.
MLB insider argues Aaron Judge edges out Cal Raleigh in AL MVP race
The Athletic's Jayson Stark recently came out with his list of predictions for award winners. Here, he believes Aaron Judge will win the AL MVP Award over Cal Raleigh.
"Unless something weird happens this weekend, he's going to lead his league in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, runs scored, total bases, walks, most times on base, Win Probability Added, and wins above replacement. Does that seem good?"
Judge leads the American League in nearly every offensive statistic outside of home runs. While he is not hitting the jaw-dropping amount of home runs he has in the past, he is still producing the longball while also carrying the weight in other offensive statistics.
If he were to win the MVP again, Judge would be in elite company with other players who have won the award three times. This list includes some of the best players the game has ever seen, like Albert Pujols, Mike Schmidt, and Mickey Mantle.