The 2022 American League MVP Race Comes Down To One Question
With the 2022 MLB season now comfortably in its second half and the MLB All-Star game set for July 19th, the debate around the regular season awards increasingly become relevant with every game that is played. As we make our way through the delayed 162-game slate, no award is more fascinating than the MVP award, specifically in the American League.
Right now, there’s a five-man race between Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels, Yordan Álvarez of the Houston Astros, José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians, and Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox.
Each of these players are having impressive seasons thus far, starting with Aaron Judge. The New York Yankees outfielder has been the focal point of the Bronx Bombers’ offense, leading them on a historic pace to tie the record for most games won in a season. The current record is 116 wins, shared by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners. In 82 games, Aaron Judge has hit a league-leading 30 home runs and batted in 65 runs, good for second place in the American League. Additionally, Judge has put up a .284 batting average, 7 stolen bases, and .980 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). His offensive WAR (wins above replacement) stands at 4.0, placing him at #3 in American League. These numbers are more impressive considering the excellent work Judge has been doing patrolling the outfield where he currently has no errors.
Next is the Houston Astros’ DH Yordan Álvarez. In 75 games, Álvarez has put together an impressive stat line including an eighth-best .306 batting average, 1.058 OPS, 26 home runs, and 60 RBI. Álvarez’s home run numbers are good for second best in the AL, and his RBI stats are good for third-best in the league. Additionally, Álvarez has the fourth-best offensive WAR with 3.9 and the second-best WAR amongst all players with 4.2.
Next, we have the Guardians’ third baseman, José Ramírez. With a .291 batting average, .958 OPS, 12 stolen bases, and American League-leading 66 RBI in 78 games, Ramírez has been a catalyst for the Guardians. He will need to keep driving in runs for the Guardians if they hope to catch the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. Ramírez has the second-best offensive WAR at 4.1 and the fourth-best WAR amongst all players with 3.8.
Penultimately, we have Rafael Devers manning the hot corner for the Boston Red Sox. The third baseman is currently leading the American League in offensive WAR with an impressive 4.3. Additionally, Devers is third in WAR amongst all players posting a 4.0 and with 19 home runs, 51 RBI, a second-best .327 batting average, and an impressive fourth-place ranking in OPS with .977. Devers has also raised eyebrows with his defensive improvement this season.
Lastly, we have reigning AL MVP, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani currently leads the AL in WAR amongst all players with an impressive 4.4. With a batting average of .260, 19 home runs, 54 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 82 games, Ohtani once again makes an impressive case to win the AL MVP despite the misfortunes that come with being a member of the 2022 Los Angeles Angels.
The American League MVP race is heating up and the second half will be critical for splitting the necessary hairs to come to a decision. However, the most important question in this MVP race is simple: do any of these candidates pitch?
The answer is no for all these candidates except one, Shohei Ohtani. In fact, in addition to his impressive offensive numbers, Ohtani just put together one of the best pitching performances of June. In his five June starts Ohtani put forth a stunning 1.52 ERA while striking out 38 and allowing a .204 opposing batting average. Furthermore, Ohtani hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last four starts where he pitched a combined 26 and two-third innings. Ohtani’s June led him to lower his ERA down to 2.42, which would rank as the fourth-best amongst AL pitchers if he pitched enough innings to qualify. Additionally, Ohtani has the third-best WAR for pitchers at 2.8. These numbers place Ohtani firmly in the AL race for the most prestigious award a pitcher can earn, the Cy Young.
The fact of the matter is simple, Shohei Ohtani is putting up stat lines baseball fans have never seen before. In his last start, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to finish a game by striking out 10 opposing batters while batting in 2 runs and stealing a base.
The only argument against Shohei Ohtani for AL MVP is the lack of team success. The Los Angeles Angels are fourth in their division with 38 wins and 48 losses, a nosedive after starting the season with an impressive 27-17 record. However, since they’ve hit their peak, the Angels have lost 14 games in a row, firing their manager Joe Maddon in the process.
Baseball is the most individualized team sport in the world. Hypothetically, a player could get on base every time they bat, and their team can still lose every game. If you would put aside the hyperbole, my last sentence perfectly describes the Los Angeles Angels in 2022 and many years before. Mike Trout, the Angels outfielder has been crowned the best player in the sport over the better part of a decade, yet the team has only made the postseason one time. In fact, on July 8th in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, Mike Trout finished with a stat line of three hits including a three-run home run in the third inning. Additionally, Shohei Ohtani collected three hits including a home run in the ninth inning. Unsurprisingly to many who have followed the Angels throughout the season, despite Ohtani and Trout combining for four runs, the team still lost 5-4.
It’s become a running joke spawning memes describing the Angels losing in blowout fashion despite stellar hypothetical games from both Trout and Ohtani. Additionally, what Ohtani will do when he becomes a free agent after the 2023 season has become a hot topic on talk shows with most pundits advocating for both Ohtani and Trout in different uniforms. With all this dialogue surrounding arguably the two best players in baseball, it’s clear that the Angels’ lack of winning shouldn’t invalidate the MVP case for Shohei Ohtani. After all, it’s not his fault that he has two be one of the only two reliable sources of run support on nights he pitches.
