Baseball's Best Players, 2024

No DH has ever won MVP.  That stat should actually have an asterisk since Ohtani has won MVP multiple times.  What I should say is that no true DH has ever won MVP.  Either way, that will change once Ohtani is announced as this year's winner.  He won't only become the first DH to win MVP for his exceptional first season with the Dodgers, he'll join Frank Robinson as just the second player in Major League history to win MVP in both leagues.

Maybe it was because he wasn't pitching and could focus exclusively on hitting.  Maybe it was because of ridiculously good the lineup behind him was.  Whatever the reason, this was the greatest offensive season of Ohtani's career.  In addition to leading the league in homers, RBIs and runs (and ranking second in batting average and hits), he also stole 50 bases.  You know how many 50 HR/50 SB seasons there have been in MLB history prior to Ohtani this year?  Zero!

Last season, Ohtani unanimously won AL MVP.  This season, he may win unanimously again, this time in the National League.  Although, I do think it's possible it might not be unanimous.  Because, if not for Ohtani, Francisco Lindor's season would definitely be considered MVP-worthy.

Lindor had the best all-around season of any National League position player.  His 2024 season was so much more than that, though.  The Mets were going nowhere fast in late May when they moved Lindor into the leadoff spot.  After that, they took off, making the playoffs and getting all the way to the NLCS.  Lindor didn't just provide leadership.  He was the author of so many big moments during the incredible second half of the Mets' season.

Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte finished third in the voting.  He took his outstanding 2023 postseason and carried it over into the 2024 campaign.  Marte was great offensively (he ranked among the top 10 in batting average, home runs and RBIs) and he was great defensively.  While I don't have him third on my ballot, he certainly would've been one of my 10 selections.

My third-place vote went to Marcell Ozuna, who was a constant in the Braves lineup (he was one of only four National League players to appear in all 162 games).  He was second in the NL in homers, third in average and fourth in RBIs.  Of course, he was second among DHs in all three categories, trailing only you know who.  If not for Ohtani, Ozuna would be the DH we'd be talking about in the NL MVP conversation.

Who else should be in the conversation?  Mookie Betts.  He played all over the field for the Dodgers while batting between Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.  Luis Arraez.  All that guy does is hit.  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.  They both stayed healthy, which was a big key to the Phillies' success.  Teoscar Hernandez.  You finally put that guy on a good team and look what happened!  Jackson Merrill.  He wasn't the Rookie of the Year, but he easily could've been.  Pete Alonso for all of his clutch hits.  And Chris Sale's pitching Triple Crown can't be ignored.  Nor can what Paul Skenes did.

So, how does my ballot look behind Ohtani and Lindor?  Something like this: 3. Ozuna, 4. Harper, 5. Marte, 6. Arraez, 7. Betts, 8. Hernandez, 9. Merrill, 10. Schwarber.

Over in the American League, it's the Yankees' 1-2 punch of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto going up against Bobby Witt, Jr.  AL MVP was the exclusive domain of the Angels for so long.  First it was Mike Trout, then it was Ohtani.  Judge, of course, won the award in 2022 after his historic 62-home run season.  And now, in the first season with Ohtani in the National League (thus theoretically opening it up for everybody else), he seems poised to win it again.

You can't talk about Judge or Soto without talking about the other.  The combination proved to be everything the Yankees hoped it would when they traded for Soto.  They don't get to the World Series without them, and I think they made each other better.  Soto had the best year of his career, and Judge's 2024 season might've been even better than his record-setting 2022 campaign.

Judge led the Majors in home runs (58), RBIs (144), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701), OPS (1.159) and walks (133).  The Yankees' captain, he played like one.  Judge switched positions (from right field to center) and moved down in the batting order (from second to third) to accommodate Soto.  As he goes, so go the Yankees.  This season was proof of that.

Soto may or may not still be a Yankee in 2025.  But, if 2024 was his only season in pinstripes, it was a glorious one!  Batting in front of Judge, he hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs.  Soto also had a career-high 166 hits and ranked second in the Majors in runs.  The guy was already set to get paid a ton.  He made himself more money by not just showing he can handle New York, but showing he can thrive in it.

In any other year, Bobby Witt, Jr., would be a slam-dunk MVP selection.  As it is, the Royals' franchise  player likely split the Yankees and finished as the runner-up behind Judge.  He led the Majors in batting average (.332) while putting together a 30-30 season.  Witt also played Gold Glove defense at shortstop.  Much like Francisco Lindor, he was arguably the best all-around player in his league.  The only reason he won't win MVP was because somebody else put up otherworldly offensive numbers.

Those three clearly separated themselves.  There are plenty of others who deserve their down-ballot votes, though.  Anthony Santander had his most productive season, hitting 44 homers and driving in 102.  Jose Ramirez continued to do Jose Ramirez things.  Can people please stop saying this guy is underrated?  He's one of the best freakin' players in the American League!  So is Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., who didn't let the Blue Jays' disappointing season prevent him from putting up monster numbers.  The same could be said for Brent Rookier during the A's final season in Oakland.

While Witt is the face of the Royals' future, let's not forget that their present also includes Salvador Perez, who's still raking at age 34.  Jarren Duran had such an unheralded all-around good season for the Red Sox.  So did Yordan Alvarez in Houston.  I can't forget Gunnar Henderson's follow-up to his Rookie of the Year campaign, either.  And Tarik Skubal certainly deserves to be up there.  The Tigers don't even come close to the playoffs without their ace.

Judge wins his second MVP in three years, but it's not a Yankees 1-2 since Witt finishes ahead of Soto.  As for the rest of the AL MVP ballot, my selections look like this: 4. Ramirez, 5. Guerrero, 6. Skubal, 7. Santander, 8. Perez, 9. Duran, 10. Henderson.