MLB

MLB Weekly Digest November 21st Edition: New York Yankees Outfielder Aaron Judge Named AL MVP

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The prior week in MLB was about offseason awards that were given to the most valuable player in the American League and National League.

Also, the top pitchers in each league earned hardware for their brilliance during the regular season.

New York Yankees Outfielder Aaron Judge Wins AL MVP

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was selected as the American League MVP after having a historic and memorable 2022 regular season.

Judge received 28 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America to edge out Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez.

The outfielder posted a .311 batting average in 157 games while leading the AL with 133 runs scored, 62 home runs, 131 RBIs, 111 walks, .425 on-base percentage, .686 slugging percentage, 1.111 OPS, and a 211 OPS+.

He becomes the first Yankees player to win the MVP since Alex Rodriguez in 2007 and the first Yankees outfielder since Mickey Mantle in 1962.

Judge also broke the regular season record for most home runs by an AL player this past year.

Judge had a phenomenal 2022 campaign that will be remembered for years.

St. Louis Cardinals First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt Wins NL MVP

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was named the National League MVP for the first time in his career last week.

Albert Pujols, a three-time MVP with the Cardinals, revealed the award to his former teammate.

Goldschmidt received 22 out of 30 first-place votes to win the award over San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who finished in second place.

Goldschmidt became the 18th Cardinals player to win MVP since 1931.

The first baseman had an outstanding 2022 season with the Cardinals as he compiled a .317 average and .981 OPS in 151 games with 106 runs scored, 178 hits, 41 doubles, 35 home runs, 115 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

He is the 17th first baseman to win the award.

He was a finalist with the Arizona Diamondbacks three times and twice finished in second place.

He is the fifth player to win his first career MVP at age 35 or older, per ESPN Stats & Info.

He is the eighth player since 1931 to win his first MVP after two second-place finishes, joining Willie Stargell, Andre Dawson, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Trout, and Pujols.

Goldschmidt, at 35 years old, is the oldest MVP since Barry Bonds in 2004 and the ninth-oldest winner in the divisional era (since 1969), per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Houston Astros Starting Pitcher Justin Verlander Joins Select Group with Third AL Cy Young

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander had a strong 2022 season on the mound, which propelled him to win his third career American League Cy Young Award.

Verlander won the award unanimously over Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease and Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah.

Verlander had missed the entire 2021 season as he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and put forth a historic season for a starting pitcher.’

He led the AL with 18 wins, a 1.75 ERA, and a 220 ERA+ in 175 innings pitched.

He also had 185 strikeouts and surrendered just 12 home runs.

Per Jon Morosi of MLB Network, he is the first pitcher to win the Cy Young after not pitching in the previous season.

This marks the second time that Verlander has won the award unanimously; he also accomplished the feat in 2011 with the Detroit Tigers.

He joins Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Johan Santana as the only two-time unanimous winners in AL history.

Miami Marlins Starting Pitcher Sandy Alcantara Unanimously Wins NL Cy Young

Miami Marlins staff ace Sandy Alcantara was selected unanimously as the National League Cy Young winner.

Alcantara, the first Marlin to win the award, is the 15th unanimous winner in the NL and the first since Clayton Kershaw with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried finished in second place, and Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias came in third.

Alcantara had a historic season as he led the league with six complete games.

He posted a 2.28 ERA in league-leading 228 2/3 innings pitched with 207 strikeouts, 50 walks issued, 16 home runs allowed, a 178 ERA+, 2.99 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP.

Those six complete games he tossed were the most by any pitcher since 2017 – when Ervin Santana and Corey Kluber each had five – and the most by an NL pitcher in eight years.

He also became the third Dominican to win the Cy Young, joining Bartolo Colon in 2005 and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, who did so three times.

Alcantara winning the award was also historic for the Marlins, as they were one of only three teams without a Cy Young winner.

The only remaining teams without a Cy Young winner are the Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers.

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Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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Chris Lacey
Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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