My 2024 AL MVP Ballot, Explained

Kyler Strickler

November 4, 2024

The 2024 season featured some legendary campaigns from future hall-of-famers, but who should receive MVP votes? On every voter's ballot, 10 players from each league get consideration, and the results of this voting will inform fans in the future who dominated this season. With that being said, let's get right into my 2024 AL MVP ballot. 

1. Aaron Judge

Everyone knows who is going to win AL MVP, likely unanimously. Aaron Judge just somehow put up a better season than his record-breaking 2022 campaign, posting a 1.159 OPS and 11.4 WAR. 58 homers and 144 RBI are truly legendary totals, and Judge did all this while playing centerfield for the best team in the American League. Many would argue that this should be Judge's third MVP, but a second will have to suffice. 

2. Bobby Witt Jr. 

Second place will probably be unanimous as well. To say that Bobby Witt had a great season is an understatement, as he put up one of the best shortstop seasons in MLB history. Hitting at a .332 clip, Witt led the league in batting average, while also reaching 30/30 for the second time in his career. On top of this, after early-career concerns with his defense, the Royals superstar has come into his own in the field, earning a Gold Glove for his 2024 campaign. Eclipsing the 10 WAR threshold is truly remarkable for a someone who is still just 24 years old, and Witt looks poised to win multiple MVPs down the road. 

3. Juan Soto

Juan Soto comes in third after setting career highs in  both WAR and home runs in his first season with the Yankees. Beyond the numbers, Soto set the table for Aaron Judge the entire year, a luxury that the captain hasn't had in recent seasons. Everyone before the season knew that Juan Soto was going to get paid in free agency, but after this sort of production, the young superstar might make upwards of 700 million. 

4. Gunnar Henderson

Gunnar Henderson finishes in fourth, but even he would tell you it's not how he wanted this year to end. Gunnar was maybe the MVP frontrunner by the All-Star break, as he already had nearly 7 WAR and was leading an Orioles team that looked poised to make a deep playoff run. However, both Henderson and the Orioles stumbled in the second half. Gunnar still put up 8.8 WAR and hit 37 home runs, but he needs to produce at an elite level for a whole season to win the award in the future.

5. Jose Ramirez

Jose Ramirez ends up in fifth on my ballot. J-Ram is no stranger to MVP votes, as there has only been one season since 2017 he didn't receive at least one. The Guardians longtime third baseman was once again the definition of a five-tool player, coming up only one homer shy of a 40-40 season. Nobody will be surprised when the most consistent player of our generation once again finishes between 3rd and 6th on the ballot again next year. 

6. Jarren Duran

Jarren Duran in fact does not need a tennis racket. The breakout young star produced a great season which saw him put up 8.7 WAR, featuring leading the league in both doubles and triples along with truly outstanding defense and 34 steals. While the Red Sox fell flat this year, Duran did not. With one of the best farm systems in the MLB headlined by perhaps the most exciting position player prospect in Roman Anthony, Duran could soon find himself headlining one of the best lineups in baseball. 

7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. needed this year. After the 2021 season, many had pegged Guerrero as possibly the best hitter in the league, as he nearly won a triple crown and truly set the league on fire. The next two years were supremely disappointing, though, as he saw his OPS dip into the .700s. However, this year was a return to form. While he didn't quite reach the peaks of 2021 this year, Vlad still hit .323 with a .940 OPS. Going into 2025, Vlad will likely be the consensus best first baseman in the league, with his 2024 campaign a driving force of that. 

8. Tarik Skubal

Simply put, Tarik Skubal was the best pitcher in the league this year. He won the pitching triple crown, the first time it has been accomplished in a full-length year since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw did it in 2011. To win MVP, a pitcher has to put up a truly legendary season while at the same time being in a league where no batter makes a good run at the award. While Skubal's 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts do not quite meet that standard, he put up a great enough season to earn low-ballot consideration. 

9. Brent Rooker

A former Twins prospect who flamed out, Brent Rooker was basically the lone bright spot at the plate for an Oakland team which experienced a sad final season in it's longtime home. While Rooker broke out in 2023, 2024 saw him make massive improvements which resulted in him being one of the most valuable players in the league. His batting average jumped nearly 50 points to .293, while still being an elite power hitter who hit 39 bombs in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Despite being a DH, he still managed to post a 5.6 OPS, a truly elite number. 

10. Emmanuel Clase

I never would have thought a reliever could receive an MVP vote from myself, but when you somehow put up 4.4 WAR as in 74 innings pitched, it is hard to ignore. I would argue that this season from Clase is the most dominant reliever season of our generation, as the game was simply over as soon as he toed the mound. You would think that someone who throws a 101-MPH cutter would be a strikeout machine, but Clase instead induces the weakest contact in the league and is ridiculously efficient, allowing the Guardians to deploy him in a variety of situations. 

Just missed: Corey Seager, Yordan Alvarez, Riley Greene