AL MVP Power Rankings: Who has the edge, Aaron Judge or Jose Ramirez?

The AL MVP Power Rankings have Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez battling it out for the number one spot.

In mid-June, the AL MVP Power Rankings have a pair of players pulling away from the rest of the contenders. Aaron Judge of the first-place New York Yankees and Jose Ramirez of the playoff-hopeful Cleveland Guardians are the two with the best chance to win it right now.

It’s no surprise to see this pair at the top of the AL MVP Power Rankings. Judge was the runner-up in 2017 and last year finished fourth. If not for some injuries, he would have plenty more top ten finishes.

Meanwhile, Ramirez has quietly put together a pair of third-place and a runner-up spot in the AL MVP race. He has done it with a mix of performances from his ball club. Missing the playoffs didn’t hurt Bryce Harper or Shohei Ohtani last year. It shouldn’t matter much for Ramirez this season if the Guardians miss out.

AL MVP Power Rankings: Is Aaron Judge or Jose Ramirez the favorite right now?

Play begins on Sunday with Judge leading the league in runs scored (50), home runs (24), OPS (.1079), and a couple of other important numbers. Ramirez isn’t leading in as many numbers. Among the major ones, he has a league-high in triples (4), RBI (56), and intentional walks (5).

Even disregarding the imbalance in the league-leading categories for these two, Judge is the front runner for a different reason.

Although Judge’s special performance for the best team in baseball has been immeasurable, it’s his presence in center field that has helped the Yankees most. They haven’t gotten much out of Aaron Hicks. With Judge now in center field regularly and playing just fine defensively, he is filling a hole for the Yankees. As a result, he’s an easier choice to lead this AL MVP Power Rankings.

Where the AL MVP Power Rankings stand

1. Aaron Judge
2. Jose Ramirez
3. Yordan Alvarez
4. Mike Trout
5. Rafael Devers

Judge leads the way in the AL MVP Power Rankings right now with Ramirez on his tail. Behind them, the powerful bat of Yordan Alvarez is in third followed by perennial contender for the award, Mike Trout. One could argue Shohei Ohtani’s value as an MVP candidate because of how unique he is. Indeed truest hasn’t been as good of a hitter or pitcher this year as compared to 2021.

Finally, in fifth place, there’s Rafael Devers. There are a couple of Boston Red Sox to consider. His league-leading 82 hits and 23 doubles to go with a .335/.371/.596 slash line is good enough to overtake teammates Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez.