Aaron Judge Unanimously Wins His Second AL MVP

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Congrats to Aaron Judge. A second MVP on his mantel to honor one of the greatest regular seasons we've ever seen from a right handed hitter. It may very well be the greatest in history. He led the league in homers, RBI, walks, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, and total bases. He played in a career high 158 games and led the Yankees to the best record in the American League. Juan Soto and Bobby Witt Jr. put up seasons that were more than worthy of an MVP award, but they stood no chance with what Judge did this year. It's truly remarkable to look at how he swung a bat during his early days up with the Yankees and compare them to now. He is a complete hitter in every way and it's a privilege to watch him play baseball. 

While everything above is true and I truly loved watching Judge do his thing, I can't help but receive another wave of sadness seeing him win the MVP. I see highlights here and there in social media that I try desperately to escape and I get roped right back into this tidal wave of sadness. It seems never-ending. Every Judge hater on the Earth who said he cannot get it done in October was proven right last month. It was flat out depressing to watch this guy fail time and time again. Sure he had moments like against Clase and in the first inning of Game 5 of the World Series, but Judge's 2024 regular season wasn't limited to moments. Once the calendar flipped to May he took off and never looked back. He was invincible. You either walked him or he beat you. In October teams were waiting to get him up at the plate. Heading into these playoffs are fought with Judge's critics who said he can't perform when it matters most. This October kind of broke me when it comes to him. 

Judge's 2024 postseason leaves me genuinely confused as to what's next. If he goes on another tear of a regular season in 2025, it's gonna be met with a large majority of the baseball world countering with "Mr. May" or "all to hit .184 in the postseason" and right now those people are right. I hope to God Judge is able to get back to the World Series and put all this to bed, but that's no guarantee, especially with the Juan Soto sweepstakes being a complete toss up. If he never returns as a Yankee his legacy will be remembered as a great regular season performer, one of the best, but a guy who crumbled when it mattered most. No one wants the big man to shake it off more than me. Pull an '09 A-Rod and silence everyone. It'll be the biggest fuck you parade of all time. But for now, these regular season accomplishments sort of get met with groans, rolled eyes, and sighs. Still impressive no doubt about it, but if they were parlayed with a ring he'd be immortal. We're just not there yet and time is running out. 

Sign Juan Soto and help Judge erase all the negativity.