New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was recently named an MVP finalist for the second time in his career. He was first a finalist after an incredible 2017 season in which the award was given to Jose Altuve. Following an 11.4 fWAR campaign, the outfielder is hoping to parlay his season into the ultimate individual award. He's competing with Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros for the American League MVP. Those two also had stellar seasons, but the Yankees star is currently the favorite to win.Talkin' Yanks@TalkinYanksAaron Judge has officially been named an American League MVP Award finalist for the second time in his career6529401Aaron Judge has officially been named an American League MVP Award finalist for the second time in his career https://t.co/9ntAVgB2EEMLB fans reacted to the news, with many of them feeling Judge should have had an MVP already in his career. Others think it will only increase the Yankees' need to sign him to a long-term contract.(6-2), (6-4-3), (4-7)🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈@ExtendJudgeHal@TalkinYanks Ohtani deserves it more imo.6@TalkinYanks Ohtani deserves it more imo.Karen Veenstra@Karen_Veenstra@TalkinYanks Should be going for his SECOND MVP Trophy11@TalkinYanks Should be going for his SECOND MVP Trophysam ☻@itssamgarcia@TalkinYanks so he has to stay a yankee.332@TalkinYanks so he has to stay a yankee. https://t.co/hIRTZpDuDMDMD@DavidDo64615179@TalkinYanks Don't forget the runt beat him last time.1@TalkinYanks Don't forget the runt beat him last time.Michael B Lehrhoff@mblehrhoff@TalkinYanks finalist = winnerGood for him; that was a special season. And wherever he chooses to play next year the best to him. (But I'll blame Brian for this and every other calamity to befall this team on his watch).@TalkinYanks finalist = winnerGood for him; that was a special season. And wherever he chooses to play next year the best to him. (But I'll blame Brian for this and every other calamity to befall this team on his watch).Sportsmaster@Sportsm88946040@TalkinYanks891@TalkinYanks https://t.co/ehKPnTXGdRrobin james@robinjames007@TalkinYanks bah! he should have won it before and should win it this year.7@TalkinYanks bah! he should have won it before and should win it this year.Zach S.@zshot@TalkinYanks Almost read that as Judge won the MVP at first haha. We know that's happening. Now we need him back as a Yankee for life. All Rise! Pay the man his money! Lets go #Yankees!!! #AllRise7@TalkinYanks Almost read that as Judge won the MVP at first haha. We know that's happening. Now we need him back as a Yankee for life. All Rise! Pay the man his money! Lets go #Yankees!!! #AllRiseThurmon Munson@ThurmonMunson15@TalkinYanks Without Altuve’s buzzer in the mix, i think Judge has this one locked up.4@TalkinYanks Without Altuve’s buzzer in the mix, i think Judge has this one locked up.PGJ50@PGJ50@TalkinYanks He will get it stolen for a 2nd time as well@TalkinYanks He will get it stolen for a 2nd time as wellJudge is currently the firm favorite to take home the award. He has -10,000 odds, while the next closest (Ohtani) is at +2,500, according to Vegas Insider.Why Aaron Judge should win his first MVP award this yearThere is a strong case that Judge should have beaten Altuve in his rookie season. He was worth 1.2 fWAR more than the Astros second baseman and was superior in a lot of statistical areas.This time around, he's left no doubt as to who should win. It will be difficult for voters to ignore the fact that he broke the American League home run record, a record many fans hold in higher regard than Barry Bonds' total of 73.It will also be very difficult to ignore the sheer lead in fWAR over his counterparts. Alvarez posted a 6.6 fWAR and Ohtani's combined fWAR was 9.4. Both those numbers pale in comparison to the 11.4 the Yankees star posted.92nd MLB All-Star Game presented by MastercardHe wasn't a Gold Glove level defender this season as he was about average in the outfield. Despite that, he produced such high offensive numbers that his overall value was extremely high.There's a case to be made for Ohtani and for Alvarez, but voting for one of them would require voters to ignore too many factors in favor of the new home run king.It probably won't be unanimous, but Judge should finally get the prestigious award he nearly earned all those years ago.