New York Yankees superstar Juan Soto is having himself a season. MLB.com released their latest MVP poll for both the American and National Leagues on Tuesday, and Soto received the highest vote count from their collection of voters. Thomas Harrigan had this to say about Soto’s placement:
“Soto deserves a lot of credit for helping transform New York’s lineup after being acquired from the Padres in the offseason. One year after scoring the sixth-fewest runs in the Majors, the Yankees have one of the highest-scoring offenses in baseball, ranking fifth with 4.84 runs scored per game,” Harrigan wrote.
Yankees: Juan Soto is dominating across the board in 2024
Among all American League sluggers, the Dominican MVP candidate ranks No. 4 in batting average (.309) and OPS (.947), No. 3 in runs (35) and RBI’s (37), and No. 5 in home runs (11) in 2024. He is the only player in the league that sits in the top five in all of those statistical categories.
Soto has also been an Ironman for the Yankees. He’s played all 50 games for New York on the year and owns the eighth-highest WAR in all the Majors at 2.3.
Soto’s MVP case is strengthened by the Yankees’ success this season
His value is clear as day for a Yankees team that is perched atop the AL at 33-17 and looking like potential favorites to win this year’s World Series. If that’s not good enough, his perfect fielding percentage with no errors committed in 430 innings at right field eliminates all doubt about his prowess in all areas of the game.
Winning, unparalleled statistical dominance, and elite overall play on offense and defense make Soto deserving of the top spot in the AL MVP rankings thus far.