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New York Yankees: Aaron Judge will eventually win his own MVP crown, but this shouldn’t be the year

By Alex Mazer

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 16: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees look on during the third inning in Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 16, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 16: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros and Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees look on during the third inning in Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 16, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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The New York Yankees 25-year-old rookie Aaron Judge will have plenty of opportunities to vie for his own MVP crown, but this season, Jose Altuve’s recognition is far overdue.

On Monday, the MLB released its awards finalists for the 2017-18 season, featuring three for AL MVP: Houston’s Jose Altuve, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.

I love Aaron. I love the excitement and enthusiasm he has refueled the Bronx with, embarking the Yankees on their new ‘Baby Bomber’ era. I love seeing that friendly giant out in right field making plays physically impossible, and then coming back to the plate to mash some of the hardest hit balls in the league.

This guy makes baseball that much more fun to watch.

And that’s why Judge was chosen to grace the cover of MLB The Show 18. Except, MLB The Show is a video game whose primary purpose is to entertain. Aaron Judge will join other names previously receiving this honor like Josh Donaldson and Yasiel Puig: two electrifying presences on the baseball diamond. Yet, in the video game’s 12-year history, it has only had one of its cover athletes be voted MVP later that year: Andrew McCutchen in 2013.

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That’s because the MVP isn’t just about how entertaining a player is.

Aaron Judge put together one of the most exciting first halves baseball has ever seen. Batting .329, sending 41.7% of his fly balls into the seats, and hitting a home run approximately every ten at bats, Judge was the last man any pitcher wanted to see at the plate.

We as fans knew the pace this rookie was performing at would be unsustainable, but no fan wanted to see the day he began to press on the brakes. And once that finally day came, he didn’t just press on the brakes, Judge slammed them through the car floor.

From July 14th (the start of the second half) to September 9th, Judge batted .182 and saw that previously mentioned home run to fly ball rate plummet from 41.7% to 18.4%. His slugging percentage cut nearly in half from the first half, dropping from .691 to .365; Judge just simply wasn’t the same player anymore.

After snapping out of it, he managed to finish the season trending upwards again, breaking Mark McGwire’s rookie home run record of 49, en route to a 52 home run total.

Judge finished his season with 114 RBI, 128 R, and a .284 batting average, which are very respectable numbers to go along with his astonishing power, and should be more than enough to earn him the Rookie of the Year crown.

But–and I’m sorry Aaron–the MVP is not meant for players who disappear for a quarter of the season.

No matter the month of the year or the day of the week, every time Jose Altuve got to the plate, opponents came to expect a base hit. It no longer was about how to get him out, but rather about how to mitigate his impact once on the base-path. Altuve won his third batting title in the past four years, hitting a staunching .346, in addition to posting an on base percentage of .410 and slugging .547, all career highs. Altuve has always been a force in the end of season awards races but what distinguishes this year from the rest is the performance of his team.

The Astros put together the second best record in the American League, winning the division by 21.0 games over the second place Anaheim Angels much in part to the leadership of their “vet” Altuve. And this was only reaffirmed by Altuve’s Astros later moving to capture their World Series crown.

Next: Judge named finalist for AL Rookie of the Year

Aaron Judge will be a force in this league for years to come, and the 27-year-old Altuve certainly doesn’t seem to be going anywhere either, but as much as we Yankee fans love our Aaron Judge, we need to tip our caps to Jose Altuve and the tremendous season he put together.

Commissioner Manfred, send the MVP trophy to Houston too.

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