According to most fans and members of the media, the American League MVP race was decided months ago when New York Yankees star Aaron Judge broke away from the pack after making a historic tear that put him in contention for the Triple Crown.
Now that Judge has gone cold, one MLB insider believes the award is now a “coin flip” between Judge and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
“I think Witt is a very viable candidate. If there was an east coast bias, I’d tell you that Aaron Judge is the clear MVP winner. I don’t see it,” Jon Heyman of MLB Network said on the Bleacher Report Walk-Off.
.@JonHeyman: thinks AL MVP is a “coin flip”
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— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 11, 2024
Heyman said Dutt was fantastic and the best hitter in the game, but Witt made it a close race, even if the odds don’t see it that way.
“To me, it’s a coin flip,” Heyman said.
He pointed out that Witt leads the majors in batting average, hits and runs scored and is now neck and neck with Judge in WAR.
While Heyman admitted Judge will likely win, he said this should be a much closer race than fans think.
Judge struggled in September, slashing .176/.300/.235 for the month, and hasn’t hit a home run since August 25th.
He still has incredible numbers for the season, but Vitti’s numbers are also historically great, and he’s quick to play every game and help the Royals look incredible in the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see if Judge can get hot again and put this race to sleep, or if Witt can keep cooking and make things more interesting.
