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MLB power rankings: Ranking the top 10 2022 MVP candidates

By Noah Yingling

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees watches his fourth inning home run against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on September 07, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees watches his fourth inning home run against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on September 07, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Shohei Ohtani, Angels (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

4) Cardinals third Nolan Arenado

Like Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado had a bit of a down year last year in comparison to his previous seasons. From 2015 through 2020, he was an All-Star, won a Gold Glove, and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting in each season (the exception being an All-Star in 2020 since there was no All-Star Game). This year, he will be a finalist for the NL MVP voting.

He has hit .302/.365/.557 with 28 home runs, 90 RBI, 37 doubles, and an OPS+ of 162. Those are fifth, seventh, fourth, seventh, fourth, third, and second in the National League. Defensively, he leads MLB in DRS with 18 and he has 16 OAA, which is fourth-best in the sport.

His 7.0 fWAR is second-best in the National League.

3) Angels DH/SP Shohei Ohtani

The reigning 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani is the most-rounded player in the sport … but that doesn’t mean that he’s leading the AL MVP race.

Offensively, he has 33 home runs, 86 RBI, a slash line of .267/.356/.536 and an OPS+ of 150. He has an offensive fWAR of 3.5, which is still very good as it’s tied for 16th-best in the AL but it is still a significant drop from 2021, when his offensive fWAR was 5.0.

On the pitching side, he has made 23 starts and he has an 11-8 record with a 2.58 ERA. His strikeout rate is the best in the sport at 12.0 K/9. His pitching fWAR is 4.4, which is third-best in the AL.

Combine them and his fWAR is 7.9, which is second overall in the AL. Undoubtedly, he would be higher on the list if his team was better, though. The Angels are an awful team and if he had more protection in the lineup, his offensive numbers would be better … and his MVP case would be stronger.

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