Aaron Judge Named 2022 American League MVP

The Yankees’ star slugger turned in a season for the ages, blasting 62 home runs.

For over 60 years, Roger Maris’ mark of 61 home runs stood as the most in American League history. Then, Aaron Judge took the field in 2022.

Judge’s dominant performance earned him this year’s AL MVP award, beating out Angels’ two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani and Houston’s Yordan Álvarez. Judge received 28 first-place votes, while runner-up Ohtani got two. Guardians third baseman José Ramírez and Astros second baseman Jose Altuve finished fourth and fifth in the voting, respectively.

Judge led the majors in nearly every main offensive category, a list that includes: RBIs (131), runs scored (133), total bases (391) and OPS (1.111). He played more games in center field (78) than anywhere else, moving away from his primary spot in right field.

This marks the 23rd time that a Yankees player has won the MVP award, and first since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Judge is the first Yankees outfielder to be named MVP since Mickey Mantle in 1962.

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