Fansided

Top 10 AL MVP candidates in a shortened MLB season

By Scott Edwards

ST PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 14: Mike Trout #27 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels get ready to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 14, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 14: Mike Trout #27 and Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels get ready to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 14, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a single off Randy Dobnak #68 of the Minnesota Twins in the third inning in game two of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a single off Randy Dobnak #68 of the Minnesota Twins in the third inning in game two of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 05, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Scouting Report. OF. 6. Pick Analysis. New York Yankees. Aaron Judge. player. 43

The scary fact is that Aaron Judge is slowly becoming a story of “what if.” In his first full season, he won the Rookie of the Year and finished second in the AL MVP race behind Jose Altuve, a season in which the Astros were proven to be sign-stealing in an illegal manner. That season saw Judge become one of baseball’s next big stars, producing a league-leading 52 home runs while mashing his way to a 1.049 OPS and 7.9 WAR. Since that wonderful season in 2017, Judge has run into a bit of trouble.

In his last two seasons combined, Judge has missed 110 games due to injury. The 6’7″ stud has been prone to injury and is the reason he hasn’t been in serious MVP talks since his rookie season. Had the season started on time this year, it would have been much of the same as he was dealing with injury once again. Instead, he is expected to return to baseball fully healthy and ready to go for the New York Yankees. That possibility gives him a great chance to win the MVP that he just missed out on in 2017.

The Yankees would love to see their best hitter play a full season, as that would only bolster their chances of going back to the World Series for the first time in a decade. But even more so, it’d be a treat for fans to “All Rise” once again. Judge has all the talent in the world and the same can be said about the team around him. A guy like Gleyber Torres could solidify his spot as the best overall player on the Yankees this season, but a healthy Judge season can remind those who may forget how good this guy is.

Considering he missed 60 games just last season, he still finished with 27 home runs. If you were to think about what man of Judge’s talents could do in just 60 games, 20 home runs aren’t totally out of the equation. Add in the fact that his outstanding defense only adds to his production and you remember why Judge is as hype as he is.

With or without the AL MVP this year, it could be redemption time for Judge. 60 healthy games could see him take home that hardware though.

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