Aaron Judge has pulled away from the pack in the American League MVP race.
The Yankees slugger is now the odds-on favorite (-130, Caesars Sportsbook) to win the award, usurping superstar teammate Juan Soto (+520), who until recently had been the favorite since shortly after Opening Day.
Judge is on an unbelievable run dating back a month-and-a-half, vaulting him into pole position for his third AL MVP award.
2024 AL MVP odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Aaron Judge | -130 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | +350 |
| Gunnar Henderson | +425 |
| Juan Soto | +520 |
| Jose Ramirez | 16/1 |
| Kyle Tucker | 16/1 |
In May, Judge won the AL Player of the Month award after hitting. 371/.488/.928 with (36-for-97) with 14 homers, 27 RBIs, 12 doubles and 28 runs scored.
His 1.397 OPS for the month was the best of any player in over five seasons.
Judge has followed up his historic May with an even better June thus far.
Heading into Thursday’s game against the Royals, Judge has five home runs and a 1.657 OPS in 10 June games, and had a hitting slash line of .307/.433/.702 with an MLB-leading 25 long balls.
Soto’s fall has more to do with Judge’s rise than any fault of his own.
The left-handed slugger entered Thursday slashing .381/.588/.762 with a pair of homers in June, though he missed a few games with an elbow injury earlier this month.
After leading the race through mid-May, Soto has also been passed up by a pair of shortstops on fellow American League contenders — the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. (+350) and Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson (+425).
Both players are having excellent seasons, but Soto is likely being overshadowed by Judge’s historic run, dinging his chances at winning his first MVP award.
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It’s no surprise to have two players in pinstripes in the race given the Bronx Bombers’ first two-and-a-half months.
Despite their 4-3 loss to the Royals on Thursday, the Yankees still have an MLB-best 49 wins.