Yordan Álvarez is among the six candidates for the MVP award

July 4, 2022

In the current season we are seeing several players stand out offensively and put up impressive statistics. In the specific case of the American League, there are six names that right now appear to be great contenders for this award. I'm referring to two Americans: Mike Trout and Aaron Judge, two Dominicans: Rafael Devers and José Ramírez, Japanese "Showtime" Shohei Ohtani and Cuban slugger Yordan Álvarez.

Center fielder of the Los Angeles Angels, Mike Trout, is one of the best ballplayers of the last decade in the Majors and a future Hall of Famer. This campaign is producing numbers that are already habitual for him. In the American League (AL) each year he has finished among the leaders in WAR (3.9 now), a fundamental element when choosing the Most Valuable Player. Additionally, he appears among the leaders in different offensive categories: 53 R (3rd), 70 H (30th), 17 2B (15th), 23 HR (2nd), 47 RBIs (11th), .272 AVG (27th), .372 OBP (12th), .623 SLG (2nd) and .995 OPS (2nd).

Another who is hot is the Yankees giant Aaron Judge. His leadership and timely hitting make him the top figure of the New York team. He's on an impressive pace in terms of home run production, it's no surprise that he surpasses 50 homers this season. At the moment his WAR is 3.6, but he needs to improve it significantly during the rest of the campaign. His numbers appear among the best in the American League: 64 R (1st), 83 H (7th), 29 HR (1st), 59 RBIs (2nd), .282 AVG (21st), .362 OBP (17th), .619 SLG (3rd) and .981 OPS (3rd).

Dominican Rafael Devers has become a superstar in the Majors. He is proving that the statistics put up last season were not a matter of chance. His contribution both with the bat and defending third base for the Red Sox team is immense. At only 25 years old and 6 seasons with Boston he already has 129 home runs connected. In this 2022 "Carita" is also batting at will, he has a WAR of 3.7 and appears among the leaders in several offensive categories in his league: 56 R (2nd), 100 H (1st), 27 2B (1st), 17 HR (9th), 45 RBIs (12th), .326 AVG (2nd), .383 OBP (7th), .581 SLG (5th) and .964 OPS (5th).

José Ramírez, the third baseman for the Cleveland Guardians has been flirting with the MVP award for several years. He already knows what it's like to finish in second place and on two occasions he has finished third (last year he was 6th). No one has driven in more runs than the Dominican in the American League and in MLB he occupies fourth place. This year Ramírez has a WAR of 3.6 and is putting up fabulous numbers: 46 R (9th), 81 H (9th), 26 2B (2nd), 16 HR (10th), 63 RBIs (1st), .292 AVG (14th), .377 OBP (10th), .588 (4th) and .965 OPS (4th).

Shohei Ohtani or simply "Showtime" is once again ranked among the best in almost everything. Offensively: 47 R (5th), 76 H (16th), 15 2B (28th), 18 HR (8th), 51 RBIs (9th), .262 AVG (32nd), .344 OBP (26th), .503 SLG (11th) and .847 OPS (12th). On the mound: 7 Wins (15th), 2.68 ERA (8th), 101 K (5th), 1.01 WHIP (6th), .209 Opponent Batting Average (7th). Per 9 innings pitched the Japanese player allows 7.1 hits and strikes out 12.3 opposing batters. In some of these categories Ohtani does not appear officially ranked, but he should be when he makes his next starts and pitches several more innings. What this ballplayer is doing is sensational, he is one of the best as a batter and as a pitcher (WAR of 3.9 and 2.4 respectively). Only comparable in the history of the Major Leagues with the great Babe Ruth. The legendary immortal Cuban Martín DiHigo (Negro Leagues) also did it wonderfully from the mound and at the plate.

Cuban Yordan Álvarez is already considered one of the best hitters in all of baseball. With an immense offensive production, the designated hitter for the Houston Astros has everything to make history with the bat. He possesses talent and youth, the perfect combination. The 2019 Rookie of the Year has not stopped hitting as he wanted in each of the four contests he has played in the Majors. This year his WAR is 3.6 and he appears among the leaders in different statistics: 49 R (4th), 75 H (18th), 8 2B (112th), 23 HR (2nd), 56 RBIs (3rd), .310 AVG (6th), .406 OBP (3rd), .645 SLG (1st) and 1.051 OPS (1st).

Any of these six players could be deserving of the Most Valuable Player award of the American League this season if they continue performing as they have so far. Cuban Yordan Álvarez could become the fourth Cuban winner of this award. Previously it was won by Zoilo Versalles (Twins) in 1965, José Canseco (Athletics) in 1988 and José Abreu (White Sox) in 2020. Coincidentally all of them achieved it playing in the American League.

However, I would be lying if I told you that in my opinion Yordan will be the AL MVP this season. My heart is with the Cuban, but my head with the Japanese Ohtani. Half the season still remains and it is unpredictable what can happen in terms of the performance of these players. But you have to take into account something that already happened and it's no surprise if it happens again. In 2021 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was sensational, with an immense offensive output and the award went to the hands of the Japanese player. Hitting 40+ home runs and driving in 100+ runs, among other great numbers, is always admirable. But connecting 35+ HR and winning 10+ games with more than dominant statistics from the mound at the MLB level is simply incredible, it's pure history.