There are a couple of clear frontrunners for the MVPs, but plenty of players can make a move ahead of the All-Star break.
American League MVP
1. Shohei Ohtani, Angels
Ohtani became the first player with ten strikeouts, 2 RBI, and a stolen base in the same game, and it seems that every week he’s finding something historic to do. And this is a career thing, but still simply amazing:
Highest slugging percentage with RISP, last 50 years:
.621 Shohei Ohtani
.616 Mike Trout
.615 Mark McGwireLowest SLG percentage allowed with RISP, last 50 years:
.201 Shohei Ohtani
.211 Dellin Betances
.226 Aroldis Chapman(min. 400 PA / 200 BF)
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) July 7, 2022
2. Aaron Judge, Yankees
Dealing with back stiffness, Judge missed yesterday’s series opener versus Boston. But the 30-year-old Yankee had three hits, a home run, and a stolen base (his seventh of the year) in his last game a couple of days ago.
3. Yordan Álvarez, Astros
Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers (.330, 19 homers including two yesterday versus the Yankees) deserves mention here, but Álvarez—the AL Player of the Month in June—is a huge reason the Astros are inching closer to the Yankees atop Major League Baseball. Álvarez already has three homers this month and is hitting .312 with 26 homers total.
National League MVP
1. Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals
It feels like Goldschmidt gets a multi-hit game at least every other day. The average remains extraordinary at .342, and it continues to look like he should settle in around the .320-.340 range at the end of the season.
2. Manny Machado, Padres
Goldschmidt is the clear frontrunner, but several different players—including Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, and Kyle Schwarber—all could be listed in the top three. Machado has hit in two straight and homered yesterday, so he might be getting back in a groove in his return from injury.
3. Pete Alonso, Mets
For now, Alonso stays in the No. 3 spot of the NL MVP race. The Mets power hitter didn’t have any homers in the past week, but he did have a four-hit performance.
American League Cy Young
1. Shane McClanahan, Rays
McClanahan has now had consecutive outings of seven innings, one run, and ten strikeouts. It’s been over a month since he’s allowed more than four hits in a start.
2. Justin Verlander, Astros
Verlander is doing great things at 39 years old, and he has a legitimate shot to become the second pitcher this century to have an ERA below 2.00 for a season (and Roger Clemens was the other). The strikeout numbers are getting back on track, with 14 over his past two starts.
3. Logan Gilbert, Mariners
Ohtani could be here too, but the nod goes to Gilbert, who became the second pitcher in the AL to reach ten wins this season.
National League Cy Young
1. Sandy Alcántara, Marlins
The run Alcántara is on is just plain silly. His latest: eight shutout innings (two hits) and ten strikeouts against the Angels.
2. Tony Gonsolin, Dodgers
The only slight knock on Gonsolin has been that he wasn’t going very deep into games. But he’s pitched 14.2 innings over the past two outings, allowing just three runs. Gonsolin is 11-0 with a 1.62 ERA.
3. Corbin Burnes, Brewers
Burnes is coming off one of his best performances of the season, going seven scoreless with ten strikeouts versus the Cubs. His numbers stack up nicely with his Cy Young 2021 campaign.