MLB handed out its annual MVP awards in both leagues on Thursday night.
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt won in the National League by a comfortable margin; while New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge took home the award for an even larger difference in the junior circuit.
Those were the expected outcomes after seeing them both dominate all year long.
Now that the 2022 season is officially in the books, what will happen in 2023?
Who will win the MVP Awards in both leagues?
The league’s official site threw out seven potential names.
“Judge and Goldy got it done in 2022. Is one of these guys next? MLB.com took a look at 7 superstars who could win their first MVP award in 2023,” they tweeted.
Judge and Goldy got it done in 2022. Is one of these guys next? https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39 took a look at 7 superstars who could win their first MVP award in 2023. pic.twitter.com/z4q4m37oJH
—MLB (@MLB) November 18, 2022
These are all candidates to win their first MVP: the San Diego Padres’ Juan Soto, Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez, free agents Carlos Correa and Trea Turner, Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado and San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado.
Who Will Win The MVP Awards In 2023?
Soto has performed at an MVP level in every year since he made his MLB debut in 2018, except for 2022.
Ramirez, similarly, has been a perennial candidate, and could have his lucky break one of these years.
He started off the 2022 campaign red-hot, but suffered a thumb injury that affected his performance from June on.
Correa would have to take his offensive game up a notch, and the same can be said about Turner.
Acuna needs health more than anything else.
Arenado and Machado were both MVP candidates this year and could have won if it weren’t for Goldy’s career year.
We can throw other names, as well, not necessarily first-time winners: Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Judge, Mike Trout, and Francisco Lindor.
It will be a fascinating race for the league’s Most Valuable Player next year.
