As we get deeper into June, division races are taking shape and great players are separating themselves from the rest of the league. Here are the top five AL MVP contenders in inverse order.
The Astros outfielder is holding down "The Juice Box" in Houston while Jose Altuve battles back from injuries. Alvarez is hitting .274/.338/.574 with 16 home runs for the Astros (36-25), who have the fourth-best record in the AL.
Alvarez's OPS of .962 ranks third in the AL and his weighted runs created (wRC+) of 164 is third in the MLB, behind only Aaron Judge and Yandy Diaz. At 25 years old, Alvarez is putting together the best year of his young career; he is on pace for a career-high 42 HRs and 140 RBI.
Yordan Alvarez slams his second homer of the day! pic.twitter.com/rmHeFPbdxP
— MLB (@MLB) May 28, 2023
Arozarena is leading a Rays team of surprise All-Stars to a historic season. (Tampa Bay has MLB's best record: 44-19) It's no surprise he made the AL MVP list after his heroics for Mexico in this spring's World Baseball Classic.
Arozarena is batting .286/.392/.484 with 42 RBI. His OPS (.876), OBP (.392) and 152 wRC+, 2.1 WAR are outstanding, and his 31 walks are top 10 in the AL. The fan favorite is one the league's most exciting players.
They #Rays get on the board here at Wrigley!
— Rays Radio (@RaysRadio) May 31, 2023
Randy Arozarena sends one to left field and Francisco Mejia scores to tie it up!
Randy gets his 40th RBI of the season and it's 1-1 here in Chicago! pic.twitter.com/GGkNxcoYww
Playing in the AL East for the fourth-place Toronto Blue Jays (34-28) won't help anyone's MVP chances. However, Bichette is quietly having a superb season.
His stats — 13 HRs, .894 OPS, 41 RBI, a wRC+ of 149, and a 2.8 WAR — are solid across the board. His league-leading average of .332 and 88 hits set him apart from most of the other contenders. Bichette has 12 more hits than the next-closest AL hitter.
Bo Bichette led the AL in hits in 2021.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 1, 2023
Bo Bichette led the AL in hits in 2022.
Bo Bichette is leading MLB in hits in 2023.pic.twitter.com/vAjYD37XHY
Bichette is one of the more underrated players in the majors. At just 25, he has already amassed more than 500 hits and could approach 3,000 hits before his career is done.
As one of the game's more renowned players, Ohtani is always in the MVP conversations. It is hard to quantify his value to a team or to the game itself.
Shohei Ohtani has hit more home runs since 2021 than any other American League player except Aaron Judge.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 31, 2023
Shohei Ohtani has struck out more batters since 2021 than any other AL pitcher except Gerrit Cole and Dylan Cease.
It's insane. pic.twitter.com/avrux8f8F3
On the mound for the Los Angeles Angels (32-30), Ohtani is 5-2 with a 3.30 ERA, 96 strikeouts and an impressive WHIP of 1.014. What's especially impressive about Ohtani as a pitcher is his .175 batting average against, best among MLB pitchers.
At the plate, Ohtani is tied for second in the AL with 16 home runs and is on pace for 40-homer, 20-SB season. With a wRC+ 130 and a combined pitching/hitting WAR OF 2.8, it's hard to think Ohtani won't be a finalist for the AL MVP.
The reigning AL MVP set the league home run record in 2022 with 62 and is on pace for 56 this season.
Aaron Judge cannot stop hitting homers pic.twitter.com/l05bKP2ArB
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 31, 2023
Despite a 10-day trip to the IL, Judge is leading the AL with 19 home runs. In addition, he leads MLB with a 1.078 OPS, the only AL player above the 1.0 mark, and in wRC+ at 188. If the season ended today, he'd be a back-to-back AL MVP.
Judge, New York's captain, will miss at least 10 days after suffering a contusion and sprained ligament in his right big toe after crashing into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium over the weekend.
AARON JUDGE MAKES THE CATCH AND ALMOST TAKES THE DOOR WITH HIM pic.twitter.com/EBfdNI8zx4
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 4, 2023
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