Judge wins 2nd AL MVP in 3 years

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge was named American League MVP for the second time in three years.

Judge beat out Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and 2024 teammate Juan Soto to earn the honor.

Former Yankees captain Derek Jeter delivered the good news to Judge.

Here's how the voting by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America shook out:

Judge set career highs in a number of categories, including wRC+ (218), fWAR (11.2), batting average (.322), RBIs (144), and OPS (1.159).

"(Winning MVP is) definitely something you always work hard for in the regular season, to put yourself in this position," Judge said on MLB Network.

The slugger continued by praising Soto for getting on base so often, which allowed Judge to have the type of season he had.

"I wouldn't be here without him," Judge said.

The 32-year-old Judge finished the campaign with a .322/.458/.701 slash line, 58 home runs, 122 runs scored, 144 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases in 158 games. He also switched positions, appearing in a career-high 105 games in center field after mostly playing in right before 2024.

"I want to congratulate Aaron on earning this distinguished honor, and I couldn't be happier for such an amazing person and leader," manager Aaron Boone said, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.

"After having a front-row seat for his 2022 MVP performance, I really couldn't envision a player having a better and more complete baseball season," Boone added. "But that's exactly what he accomplished in 2024. I'm beyond fortunate to be able to manage Aaron, and I look forward to watching him further cement his legacy as one of this generation's greatest players."

Judge joins Alex Rodriguez, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig as the only players in Yankees history to win multiple MVPs.

He's the second Yankee to unanimously win MVP. Mantle accomplished the feat in 1956.