"Homers win the awards" - MLB analyst believes Bobby Witt Jr.’s WAR advantage won't be enough to beat Aaron Judge for AL MVP award
Kansas City Royals slugger Bobby Witt Jr. currently sits behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the American League MVP Award. According to DraftKings, Judge's odds sit at -900, while Witt Jr. has +500 odds.
Witt Jr. leads all hitters with his .343 batting average and hits with 156. However, Judge leads all hitters in home runs (41) and runs batted in (103), giving him a strong lead.
It is looking to be Judge's award to lose, and that is something Ben Verlander echoed on a recent airing of the Flippin' Bats Podcast. He does not believe Witt Jr. will be able to catch the Yankees slugger.
"The only hope for Bobby Witt Jr. to win the American League MVP is for Aaron Judge to slow down. At this point, there is nothing more [he] can do," said Verlander.
With how well the Bronx Bombers have played and how much Judge means to that club, it will be hard for the Royals slugger to make up ground. Not unless he starts belting home runs left and right.
"You have a lot you're going up against. He plays in Kansas City, but if we're really diving into the numbers, they're just different players, and homers win the awards," said Verlander.
While Witt Jr. has played exceptionally well, he is facing an uphill battle. Judge is one of the faces of baseball, and it will be tough to deny him his second AL MVP Award if he keeps playing like he has.
Which players have a chance to edge out Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge in the AL MVP race?
While Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. hold the best odds to win the AL MVP Award, they do have some competition. Baltimore Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson sits in third place with +1500 odds.
Judges' teammate, Juan Soto, sits in fourth place with +2000 odds, while Boston Red Sox slugger Jarren Duran rounds out the top five at +8000 odds.
Now, Henderson, Soto, and Duran have a lot of ground to make up, but there is plenty of time to do so. There are still lots of games left to be played during the regular season.
It will be interesting to see how this MVP race plays out. There are certainly some names on this list who have risen above expectations and do not look to be slowing down anytime soon.