New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was named the American League’s MVP on Thursday night.
He was just two votes shy of unanimity, as he got 28 first-place votes and two second-place ones.
Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani got the remaining first-place votes.
Judge is now part of an exclusive group of Yankees stars in history.
While other teams are known for their pitchers, no MLB franchise can compare with the Yankees, historically speaking, when it comes to position players.
Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Judge are just some of the best to ever play the game, and they are all known for their contributions in pinstripes.
If we narrow the search to just outfielders, the group is still thoroughly impressive.
With his MVP, Judge can now say he is in the same group as some of those beasts.
“Yankees OFs to win MVP (since BBWAA began voting in 1931): 2022 Aaron Judge, 1962 Mickey Mantle, 1961 Roger Maris, 1960 Roger Maris, 1957 Mickey Mantle, 1956 Mickey Mantle, 1947 Joe DiMaggio, 1941 Joe DiMaggio, 1939 Joe DiMaggio ,” MLB stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted.
Yankees OFs to win MVP (since BBWAA began voting in 1931):
2022 Aaron Judge
1962 Mickey Mantle
1961 Roger Maris
1960 Roger Maris
1957 Mickey Mantle
1956 Mickey Mantle
1947 Joe DiMaggio
1941 Joe DiMaggio
1939 Joe DiMaggio—Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 18, 2022
An Exclusive Group
Mantle and DiMaggio won three MVP Awards each, and Maris and Judge have one.
That’s some exclusive company.
If Judge can have at least 75 percent of the career they had, he should consider himself very lucky.
He is very good at baseball, and he proved it in 2022.
Now, he is about to reap the benefits: he is a free agent and half the league is interested in his services.
The Yanks are seen as the favorites to re-sign him, but other teams are in, too.
