The 2024 MLB season has officially reached the All-Star break, and with over half of team games completed, certain players have stated their cases for winning some silverware. Here are the American League MVP, CY Young, ROY, Team of the Year, and Manager of the year.
AL MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees - The Captain of the NY Yankees got off to a horrible start in 2024, batting .207 with a .414 slug%. Many fans and analysts had doubts about the slugger and wondered if he would regain his MVP form. He put all those rumors to bed quickly with 35 HR, 85 RBIs and a 1.112 OPS, all of those stats are currently best in MLB. Judge has once again been one of the few elite bats in the Yankee lineup along with Juan Soto, and those two have carried the Yankees for the majority of the season.
AL CY Young: Tarik Skubal, Tigers - The California southpaw has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last three seasons, and this year looks to be the one he finally gets the recognition that is so rightfully deserved. Skubal has an MLB SP best 2.41 ERA in 116 IP, to go along with his first ever All-Star Selection. He is currently -130 to win his first CY Young, and looks to dominate the second half of the season.
AL ROY: Wyatt Langford, Rangers - The #4 overall pick in last years draft soared through the minors leagues which led to him being on the opening day roster to start the season. After a month plus without a ball going over the fence, Langford has found his swing with a .826 OPS in the last 30 games. SP of the Yankees Luis Gil is also very much in this race with +225 Odds, but a few shaky starts in June saw Gil go from CY Young contender to not making the All-Star team. I believe that an everyday position player like Langford will have the best chance to win this award.
AL Team of the Year: Cleveland Guardians - Before the 2024 season began, MLB.com had the Guardians ranked as the 21 team, but almost 100 games in and Cleveland has the 2nd best record in the AL. Standout performances from Jram, Steven Kwan, David Fry, & Emmanuel Clase have propelled the Guardians to a 58-37 record, and look to be in firm control of the AL Central & could also be a dark horse playoff squad.
AL Manager of the Year: Stephen Vogt, Guardians - First time Manager Vogt only stopped playing in the MLB two seasons ago, but has done an incredible job in his first year with Cleveland. The 39 year old has taken a team with little expectations before the season, to having an over 95% chance to make the postseason currently. Although the Orioles have a better record, what Vogt has done with this squad, along with being a first time skipper, he is extremely deserving of the award.
Those are my picks for the American League Awards at the All-Star Break, I will come back in November to see how many of my AL & NL selections were correct. The MLB season is now going into the home stretch with just over 60 games left, and the postseason right around the corner.
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