6 players emerge as true American League MVP candidates

As the 2024 season works itself deeper into June, six players are performing at a level as to be MVP candidates if they can avoid any of the pitfalls of a long, grinding season. It's no surprise that five of the players are on contending teams, and the sixth is on a team that can play itself back into contention as the season progresses.

There have been some terrific early season performances thus far. Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has is among the league leaders in batting average and RBI. New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe had a 21-game hitting streak and is having a terrific sophomore season in the majors. Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien has been his normal, steady self. As good as these players have been, they fall just outside the group of stars who have become the leading MVP candidates.

There are so many players producing fantastic seasons this year, there is not much overall difference between the players on this list. If they all continue on the pace they are on, voters will have a very difficult time sorting out who will be the most deserving.

6 players who could win the American League MVP in 2024

No. 6: Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros

The Houston Astros got off to a terrible start, but it wasn't Kyle Tucker's fault. The seven-year veteran is producing career-high marks in On Base Percentage (.395) and Slugging Percentage (.584), and his 19 home runs are well above pace to best his personal best of 30.

An unlucky batting average on balls in play (.245) is depressing his average just a bit, but that is really the only negative on his 2024 resume. He even has five more walks that strikeouts this season! He's fifth in the AL in wins above rreplacements (WAR) to further his case.

The one thing holding him back is his team. The Astros are 28-35 and are in third place in the AL West, seven games out of first. Houston has been stalled because of numerous injuries to their rotation. The Astros have enough talent to make a big run in the second half of the season if their pitching can get healthy enough. If they do, and Tucker doesn't regress back to his solid career norms, he could be in the conversation after the season.

No. 5: Jose Ramirez, 3B, Guardians

Jose Ramirez is the best player on the second best team in the AL, and he carries a lot more of the offensive load than some of the other players on this list.

He leads the league in RBI with 60, is third in runs with 47, and is tied for fourth in home runs with 17. and he tied for eighth in stolen bases with nine. He doesn't walk all that much, but he's barely striking out, whiffing only 11 percent of the time.

The only thing holding him back is a somewhat head-scratching WAR of 2.3, good for only the ninth best in the AL. While his defensive metrics aren't fantastic (1 defensive run saved and 1 ultimate zone rating), neither are they brutally bad. He has logged 14 games at designated hitter, and that can curtail his WAR just a bit.

Still, Ramirez is always good enough to be in consideration for MVP. If the Cleveland Guardians can continue their winning ways, and they win the much-improved AL Central, he will be thrust into the spotlight. He seems to still be underrated nationally, and that is hard to fathom. He is a stalwart star.

No. 4: Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles

The April AL Player of the Month hasn't slowed down much since his hot start. Gunnar Henderson's tied for second in home runs with 19, tied for third in runs with 47, and seventh in RBI with 42. He's fourth in the league in WAR at 3.9.

His batting average is one of the lower one's on this list at .265 but his other slash-line numbers are robust. His on-base percentage sits at .370 and his slugging percentage is .581. His strikeout rate is around league average at 23.6 percent and he is walking at a solid rate of 12.7 percent. He's added none doubles and four triple for good measure.

Henderson has a strong cast around him and the Orioles have the third-best record in the American League. There isn't anything in his performance to date that would make anyone think that he and the Baltimore Orioles aren't for real.

It is exiting that two of the best young players in the AL are shortstops, and there is a good chance these two will be in this particular conversation for years to come.

No. 3: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

There isn't much distant between Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr. at this point in their careers. The former has a bit more power, and the latter has more speed. Witt is nearly 24, and Henderson is nearly 23. The biggest difference between the two is defense.

According to FanGraph's Defense stat, which combines fielding runs plus positional adjustment, Witt scores a 9.3 this season, by far the highest mark by any player. His Oriole counterpart is ranked eighth in the AL at 4.7. That is for all players in the league. For players on this list, the two shortstops are the best overall fielders.

Offensively, Witt has been fantastic. He is second in batting average at .317, just behind Juan Soto. He's first in runs, fourth in RBI, and and second in stolen bases. He has 11 home runs, 16 doubles, and six triples. He's third in the AL in WAR at 4.0.

He doesn't have as good a cast around him as some of the others on this list, but still, he has led the Royals into second place in the AL Central, and they have the fourth best record in the AL. Considering they lost 106 last year, that is quite the turnaround.

Witt is a beast, and it will be interesting how he will finish the season and in the voting. Usually, players in Kansas City will be lost in the shadows of players in New York, and defense doesn't play into MVP voting as much as offense.

No. 2: Juan Soto, OF, Yankees

There can be no argument that Soto is having another fine season. While he is in his seventh season in the majors, at 25, he's only a year and a half older than Witt.

Soto is tied for fourth in home runs, third in RBI, second in runs, and is tied for first with his teammate, Aaron Judge, in WAR at 41. By all accounts, this campaign has been a brilliant one thus far for Soto.

Not only is he leading the league in batting average at .318, but he's also first in on-base percentage at .424, and second in Slugging at .603. He's walking a lot, and not striking out much, which is a fantastic recipe for success.

With the top two offensive players in their lineup every day, it is not surprising the Yankees have the best record in the American league. It is a huge advantage to have players like Soto and Judge hitting every day, at the level they are performing. If both should continue, it will be interesting to see toward whom the voters will lean when it comes to the MVP.

No. 1: Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees

There is no doubt Judge is having another monstrous season. His toe issue from last year hasn't seemed to bother him in 2024. His numbers are unsurprisingly awesome.

He's first in home runs, second in RBI, and fourth in runs. He is right behind Soto in On-Base Percentage at .423, and has a huge lead in slugging percentage with a .658 mark. He also leads the league in doubles with 19 and is tied for first with his teammate Soto with a WAR of 4.1.

He still whiffs at a rate of about 25 percent, but he offsets that by walking over 18 percent of the time. His strikeout rate is actually the lowest of his incredible career so he is still honing his craft and making improvements. It is not a shock that he's having another terrific season.

Judge gets the slight edge here because of his home run and slugging numbers, and that he is close to the top in so many other categories. Still, one could argue that because he has a teammate like Soto, the leadership and play of some of the others on this list is more impressive. Judge and Soto, while both just phenomenal players, they can share the offensive load, while players like Ramirez and Witt have to shoulder way more of the offensive production for their teams.

Regardless, there is a lot of season to play, but it will be exciting if all of these players and their teams continue to play well and produce great numbers. It's looking lime the American League will have a fun second half of the season.