New York Yankees Superstar Would Enter Rare Air With Next MVP Award

There are 12 players in Major League history that have won at least three MVP awards. Can this New York Yankees captain become the 13th?

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New York Yankees powerhouse Aaron Judge has won two of the last three American League MVP awards. He's done that behind mammoth seasons with a 10.5 bWAR in 2022 and a 10.8 bWAR in 2024.

If the reigning AL MVP goes back-to-back in 2025, he'll join an exclusive club of three-time MVP winners.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds won seven MVPs, the most in league history by a wide margin. Bonds is the all-time home run leader with 762, passing Hank Aaron back in 2007. Bonds also holds the single-season home run record with the 73 he hit in 2001. He's the all-time leader in walks with 2,558, and the only player in league history to exceed 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases. He's a 14-time All Star and an eight-time Gold Glove winner.

Bonds won four straight MVPs as a Giant from 2001-04, which is more than any other player has been awarded over the course of their entire career.

There are 11 players with exactly three career MVPs, which is tied for the second-most anyone has recorded to date.

Los Angeles Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani (2021, '23, '24) and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (2014, '16, '19) are the only active players with three.

Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio (1939, '41, '47), Yogi Berra (1951, '54, '55) and Mickey Mantle (1956, '57, '62) each won three MVPs. Former Yankee and Texas Ranger Alex Rodriguez (2003, '05, '07) also won three, joining Bonds as the only Hall of Fame eligible players on this list to not be enshrined in Cooperstown. Bonds and Rodriguez's association with performance enhancing drugs is the reason behind their exclusion.

Former Angel and St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols (2005, '08, '09) is expected to be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2028. Another Cardinals legend, Stan Musial (1943, '46, '48) makes the list as does former Dodger Roy Campanella (1951, '53, '55) and Philadelphia Phillies icon Mike Schmidt (1980, '81, '86). Jimmie Fox (1932, '33, '38) rounds out this exclusive club and was the first in history to reach this feat.

Judge will turn 33 years old in April, and he needs one more to be the 12th player in history to win three MVPs. He's the reigning AL MVP, so he's clearly still at the height of his powers.

Now that Ohtani is in the National League, Judge's competition is significantly thinner in this race, as it was last year. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Rangers shortstop Corey Seager and Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez comprise Judge's biggest obstacles to make history. Outside of a comeback year from Trout, chances are a first-time MVP winner will have to unseat Judge.

If the Yankee captain brings home his third MVP award, history would indicate that he's on his way to Cooperstown five years after he calls it a career. He's in a great position to become the fifth player to wear a Yankees uniform to also win three MVPs.