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Last night, baseball fans around the world finally found out the news they have been waiting for, which players will win the MLB MVP awards? It was revealed that two first-time award winners were voted as MLB MVPs in the National and American leagues: Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge.
"MVP! Congrats to Aaron Judge & Paul Goldschmidt on capping off phenomenal seasons and being named MVP for the AL and NL!" - Topps
Paul Goldschmidt was the betting favorite to win the National League heading into the announcement, which came to fruition for the St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman. Goldschmidt became the first Cardinals player since Albert Pujols to win the NL MVP.
"Paul Goldschmidt is the N.L. MVP!" - St. Louis Cardinals
Goldschmidt was a force to be reckoned with all season for St. Louis. The veteran first baseman finished his stellar season with a .317 batting average, 35 home runs, while also racking up 115 RBIs. He also led the National League in OPS (.981), wRC+ (177), wOBA (.419), and slugging percentage (.578).
He also became only the fifth player over the age of 35 to win their first MVP award, joining Dennis Eckersley (1992), Willie Stargell (1979), Hank Sauer (1952), and Spud Chandler (1943).
Aaron Judge wins his first MLB MVP
The race for the American League MVP was far more unpredictable. The AL MVP race came down to a showdown between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. With both players coming off historic seasons, all eyes were on the award ceremony to see who would take home the AL MVP.
The race was not as close as predicted, with Aaron Judge receiving 28 of a possible 30 first-place votes and earning his first-ever MLB MVP award.
"One of the greatest seasons in baseball history. Aaron Judge is the 2022 MVP of the American League!" - Dan Rourke
The New York Yankees free agent had one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history, surpassing Roger Maris for the franchise and the American League's single-season home run record with 62 long balls. Aaron Judge's quest for 62 home runs became a major talking point at the end of the regular season, with the AL MVP hitting a record-breaking homer with one game remaining in the season.
Judge became the first Yankee player to win the MVP award since 2007 when Alex Rodriguez secured the award.
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