MLB power rankings: Ranking the top 10 2022 MVP candidates

2) Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Goldschmidt has the best case for winning the National League MVP this season. If the season were to end today, Goldschmidt would nearly win the Triple Crown. If he does, he’d only be the second player in the divisional era (since 1969) to win it.

Here are his stats and where they rank in the NL:

• .329 batting average (1st and he also leads the majors)
• .417 on-base percentage (1st and also leads the majors)
• .616 slugging percentage (1st)
• 194 OPS+ (1st)
• 300 total bases (1st)
• 35 home runs (2nd)
• 108 RBI (1st)
• 35 doubles (8th)
• 72 walks (3rd)
• 7.1 fWAR (1st)

With all of those firsts and being on a first place team that has a 9.5-game lead, he’s heavily favored to win the NL MVP award.

Honorable mentions: Xander Bogaerts, Andres Gimenez, Jose Altuve, Rafael Devers, Julio Rodríguez, Kyle Tucker, Dansby Swanson, Francisco Lindor, Trea Turner

1) Yankees OF Aaron Judge

Even though Shohei Ohtani has been great on both sides of the ball, Aaron Judge has almost single-handedly kept the Yankees in the playoff picture in the last two months. Here are his overall stats on the season and where he ranks in the AL.

• .301 batting average (8th)
• .407 on-base percentage (1st)
• .683 slugging percentage (1st and he also leads the majors)
• 205 OPS+ (1st and also leads the majors)
• 334 total bases (1st and leads the majors)
• 85 walks (1st)
• 14 intentional walks (1st and leads the majors)
• 110 runs (1st and leads the majors)
• 55 home runs (1st; leads the majors by 19 home runs and leads the AL by 22)
• 118 RBI (1st and leads the majors)
• 9.1 fWAR (1st and leads the majors by 1.2 fWAR)

Since July 9, the Yankees have been awful. They are 22-31 and since then, they have lost 11 games in the AL East standings. As a team, they have hit .228/.313/.388 as a team. But Judge has hit .332/.474/.796 with 25 home runs and 54 RBI. Every one of those stats is by far the best of any player in the sport in that span with the exception of the batting average, which is third best. His wRC+ in that span is 250, or 150 percent better than league average and 73 percent better than any player in the sport.

That alone should be enough for him to win the AL MVP, even if the Yankees blow their AL East lead. He’s having the absolute best season he could be entering free agency, which could get him a record-breaking contract.