New York Yankees Superstars Lead Way in Latest MVP Polling

The New York Yankees very well may have their next American League MVP.

May 18, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) flips his bat / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees are off to a incredibly hot start, leading the Baltimore Orioles by 2.0 games in the American League East and setting the pace for the rest of the conference.

This is all being done with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound, though all indications are pointing towards him returning sooner rather than later. A scary proposition for the rest of the American League.

But one Yankees superstar has taken it upon himself to help carry the team. New arrival Juan Soto, who was traded from the San Diego Padres in December, is having a season to remember after a few down years by his standards.

Soto is currently slashing .316/.415/.551 with 11 home runs and is setting the pace for the American League in games played and plate appearances. After New York experienced a terrible year at the plate in 2023, it is refreshing to see Soto breathe life into the unit and pair well with fellow superstar Aaron Judge.

In fact, Soto is playing so well that he is leading the pack in the latest MLB.com MVP poll. Soto is in first with 28 first place votes, ahead of Houston Astros slugger Kyle Tucker who has six first place votes.

"Soto deserves a lot of credit for helping transform New York’s lineup after being acquired from the Padres in the offseason," writes Thomas Harrigan. "One year after scoring the sixth-fewest runs in the Majors, the Yankees have one of the highest-scoring offenses in baseball, ranking fifth with 4.84 runs scored per game. Soto has appeared in all 48 of New York's games and is slashing .316/.415/.551 with 11 homers, 37 RBIs and more walks (33) than strikeouts (32)."

Meanwhile, Judge is fourth in the MVP poll with three first place votes. The former AL MVP is currently slashing .271/.406/.582 with 13 of his signature home runs.

"So much for that slow start. After slashing .197/.331/.393 through May 2, Judge has put together a sizzling stretch over his past 16 games, hitting .436 (24-for-55) with seven homers, 10 doubles, 14 RBIs and a 1.563 OPS. He now ranks second among AL qualifiers with a .988 OPS on the year, behind only Tucker."

If both superstars can keep up with their current pace, then there is a better than even chance the Yankees will have their next MVP, not to mention a potential deep postseason run.