Two of the four major MLB award races have new leaders with September coming up.
American League MVP
1. Aaron Judge, Yankees
It was stated last week that Judge looked like a clear No. 2 in the AL MVP race, but a strong week that includes seven hits, two homers (48 this season), and a stolen base push him back into No. 1 for now.
2. Shohei Ohtani, Angels
This race should be considered much closer than the oddsmakers are declaring it, but Ohtani had a down week both on the mound and at the plate, so he’s dropping here in these rankings below an extremely worthy potential favorite in Judge.
3. Yordan Alvarez, Astros
The homerless drought (August 10) continues for Alvarez, but the average continues to hover in the .290s. Every year he’s been healthy, Alvarez has been about as steady as they come at the plate.
National League MVP
1. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
The heavy favorite in the National League, Goldschmidt smashed his 32nd and 33rd home runs yesterday (three hits, three runs, five RBI total). The All-Star first baseman has a shot to easily eclipse career-highs across the board.
2. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
Freeman is back to the second spot in the NL MVP race, but he (or someone else) is going to need to go on a preposterous streak to catch Goldschmidt. Freeman has multiple hits in four of his past five games.
3. Austin Riley, Braves
Riley was able to homer last Friday, and he had two RBI in each of his past two games.
American League Cy Young
1. Justin Verlander, Astros
Verlander threw six no-hit innings (with ten strikeouts) in his last outing, and he was totally fine with leaving the game coming off Tommy John surgery. Verlander is 16-3 with a 1.87 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP.
2. Shane McClanahan, Rays
McClanahan looks to be back in his groove, and he’s sticking around in the AL Cy Young contest. The Rays starter has allowed just four runs in his past 19 innings.
3. Dylan Cease, White Sox
The past two outing weren’t awful, but they show how quickly a Cy Young race can change. After allowing three runs and four runs in his past two starts, Cease’s ERA jumped from 1.96 to 2.27.
National League Cy Young
1. Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers
While things can quickly change, the NL Cy Young race looks like it might be the closest and come down to the wire. Gonsolin is back up at No. 1 after yet another quality start. Following a down July, the Dodgers starter is back on track and now sports a 16-1 record with a 2.10 ERA.
2. Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
Alcantara was hit hard by the MLB-leading Dodgers, giving up six runs on ten hits in 3.2 innings. The workhorse is still squarely in the mix for No. 1, but he drops out of the top spot for the first time in weeks.
3. Edwin Diaz, Mets
A few starters including two more Dodgers and a couple of Braves have a case for the top three, but Diaz remains here still. Diaz figures to be in plenty of pressure situations with the Braves just two games behind the Mets in the NL East.