By Aaron Gotkin
Hot days filled with sunshine and children wearing shorts hardly feels like a typical fall day. Nevertheless, it is fall and that means time for postseason baseball. So far in the playoffs, underdogs have rallied and surpassed some top tier teams in series filled with energy. The playoffs and the upcoming World Series may be an exciting event on everyone’s upcoming radar, but there are still MVP awards to decide upon.
In the American League, there are a plethora of different types of talents to pick from with no sure winner. However, the popular vote is likely to be Aaron Judge. This tight end playing right field for the New York Yankees has had an unheard of the rookie season. This season he passed an old home run king, Mark McGwire for most round-trippers hit by a rookie, with a daunting 52. With his limitless power this season he as well has scored 128 runs and has hit in 114 of his teammates, first and second in the AL respectively. MegaJudge’s unlikely counterpart in this MVP race is the 5”6-second baseman for the Houston Astros, Jose Altuve. Unlike Judge, Altuve has posted a far above .300 batting average of .346 which led the entire MLB this season. Along with his portrayal of superior contact ability this season, Altuve has hit 24 balls out of the park and has scored 112 runs, second only to Judge. The small yet quick Venezuelan has also swiped 32 bags and has played Gold Glove-caliber defence. Although one of these men could be mistaken for the other’s son, they both have strong cases for AL MVP especially with their teams currently competing in the American League Championship Series.
Altuve has posted a far above .300 batting average of .346 which led the entire MLB this season
The National League has a quite opposing feeling to the AL race. There seems to be an almost guaranteed MVP winner with only a few other unlikely candidates. It is almost certain that the NL’s 6”6 version of Judge, Giancarlo Stanton will take home the award this season. He has led the entire MLB with 59 home runs, the most by any player since 2001. He has put up massive run production numbers with 123 runs scored and 132 batted in. His team might not be in the playoffs, but his historic season builds a great case for the award. The only other players that have a minute chance to beat out Stanton’s insane season are two fellow Colorado Rockies, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado. This duo each place in the top ten of almost every NL stat but still seem to stand inferior to the aura of Stanton.
This season has been filled with players aiming to hit the ball out of the park every at-bat and trying to maximize their chances with new hitting philosophies as well. More and more balls seem to be flying over the fence every night and it seems that the player in each league with the most balls over the fence is going to win their respective MVPs.