What time is MLB MVP announced?

Last night, MLB announced the winners of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award and now the focus will shift to the race for the MVP. While Paul Goldschmidt appears to be a lock for the National League MVP, the race for the MVP in the American League has been the talk of baseball over the past few months.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Angels unicorn Shohei Ohtani have MLB Twitter divided on who should walk away with the award. Both superstars have legitimate cases to be named the AL MVP, but it may come down to their respective teams' overall success as the differentiator.

The MLB MVP awards for both leagues are set to be announced at 6 PM EST on November 17.

"Shohei Ohtani's an AL MVP finalist (with Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez). Cases could be made for Ohtani & Judge. Here’s the difference: What Judge did this year has been done before. What Ohtani did has not been done before, not even by Babe Ruth." - L.A. Times Sports

Who are the finalists for each MLB MVP award?

National League

The National League will have a first-time winner of the MVP award as three fresh faces will be vying for the coveted prize. Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Manny Machado have been selected as the finalists for the award, with Goldschmidt the favorite to win.

"Paul Goldschmidt went absolutely insane in 2022. Easily the MVP! #STLCards" - @brendenSTL

Goldschmidt was the best hitter in the NL, finishing .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. He also went on to win the Hank Aaron Award for the best offensive player in his league, as well as the first baseman Silver Slugger Award.

American League

While Yordan Alvarez has been named a finalist, the MLB MVP for the American League will realistically be either Judge or Ohtani.

Aaron Judge surpassed Roger Maris for the all-time single-season record for home runs in the AL with 62, whereas Ohtani has statistics that have never been seen before.

"Aaron Judge is getting MVP chants at Fenway Park" - Talkin' Yanks

The reigning AL MVP finished the season with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .273 batting average. While those numbers were impressive enough, Ohtani also pitched a career-high 166 innings, racking up 219 strikeouts and finishing the season with an ERA of 2.33.

The differentiator may be Judge and the Yankees finishing with a record of 99-63, whereas the Angels finished 73-89.