New York Yankees Slugger Running Away With MVP in Latest MVP Poll

The New York Yankees superstar looks like he could be winning his second MVP Award.

Jul 19, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) is greeted by designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) after scoring in the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees got a much-needed win out of the All-Star break against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, winning 6-1. It was a team effort, as Gerrit Cole struck out eight in 6.0 innings pitched before the bullpen locked it down, allowing just one hit in 3.0 innings.

Offensively, the Yankees did enough to get the win, as Aaron Judge and Juan Soto carried the way again, combining for six of the team's nine hits.

It's been much of the same story for this lineup all year. Soto and Judge do what they have to do, and the rest often struggle. It's an issue, but one that could be fixed with the trade deadline approaching.

However, it's important to recognize what both of them have done. If they weren't playing at an MVP-caliber level, New York would be in a very bad position.

Speaking of MVP, it looks like Judge might be running away with the award for the second time in his career. Brent Maguire of MLB.com polled MLB.com experts about the Most Valuable Player Award, and Judge took first place by a landslide.

Judge had 38 of the 41 first-place votes, with three of them going to Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles.

"After starting slow and running a .754 OPS through the end of April, Judge has been better than ever since that point, hitting an absurd .357/.479/.815 with 28 home runs since May 1. As a result, Judge currently leads the Majors in home runs (34), OBP (.433), SLG (.479), OPS (1.112) and FanGraphs' version of Wins Above Replacement ( 6.3).

"That Judge is the overwhelming favorite is a testament to his impressive production, given the fierce competition he has from three other players putting up MVP-worthy seasons."

Soto was ranked third but didn't receive a first place vote.

Barring anything unexpected happening to Judge, it looks like the Yankees slugger will win the MVP. To say it's well-deserved would be an understatement, as he's completely proven throughout the campaign that he's the best player in Major League Baseball.

Leading the league in home runs, RBI, OPS, and ranking seventh in batting average shows how dominant he's been. It might sound crazy to some, but one could argue that he's having a better season than he did when he broke the American League home run record.

Another MVP Award would certainly be a great honor, but as Judge has said many times, his focus is on winning a World Series.

New York will have to pick it up around him and Soto if they're going to accomplish that.