The anticipation for the regular season is building and spring training hasn’t even begun. As free agency begins to cool down, team rosters are taking shape and talent continues to emerge across the league. Is it too soon to start placing bets on this year’s MVP?
The MLB MVP award is given to one player in each league who showcases peak performances across the 162-game season. MVP winners are characterized by their durability, superb counting stats and importance to their team.
Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves won the National League MVP for the 2023 season. Acuña Jr. is a dynamic player who made MLB history with a record-breaking 73 stolen bases and 41 home runs, becoming the first player to surpass 70 and 40 in those categories in the same season. Acuña finished the 2023 season with a .337 batting average and a .416 on-base percentage.
Shohei Ohtani, then the Los Angeles Angels’ star pitcher and designated hitter, won the American League MVP award by a landslide. Ohtani’s two-way ability makes him a once-in-a-generation talent at the professional level. He won his first MVP in 2021 and became the only player in MLB history to win a second unanimous MVP with his 2023 win.
“So I wanted to come back stronger and try to win it this year, and I know my rivals, Semien, Seager, they had great seasons, and congrats to them for winning the World Series,” Ohtani, speaking through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, told MLB Network when he was announced the AL MVP. “I think it’s awesome. My goal was to try to come out on top, and this kind of pays off all my hard work,”.
In addition to both the reigning MVP winners, this year’s frontrunners are Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts.
Again, maybe it’s too early to make picks, but is it ever really too early? Not for the true baseball heads.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers (NL), Pitcher and Designated Hitter
Ohtani ended the 2023 season with a .304 AVG and .412 OBP putting up 44 home runs—and that’s just his stats as a DH. He also had a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts. It’s no surprise he won last season’s MVP, but where does he land now?
Given that Ohtani will not be pitching during the 2024 season as heals from elbow surgery, his stats will not look the same as last year. Though he’ll likely produce similar offensive results, he won’t have much to show defensively, which was key to his 2023 campaign. This puts him at a slight disadvantage, however, Ohtani is no stranger to adversity and his work ethic is clearly effective.
With Ohtani out of Anaheim, there’s now a big opening in the AL for a new most valuable player.
Juan Soto, New York Yankees (AL), Left Fielder
One player who could fill that open position is former San Diego Padres left fielder Juan Soto, who was traded to the Yankees for the final year of his current contract, worth $31 million. In the 2023 season, he batted a .275 AVG with a .410 OBP and 35 home runs.
The numbers speak for themselves. Yankees manager Aaron Boone agrees.
“He’s as good an offensive player as there is,” Boone said of Soto before the trade was completed. “He is a machine offensively—on base, power, and has accomplished a ton already at a young age.”
Those numbers aren’t too far behind Ohtani and now that Soto will be playing alongside 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and AL Gold Glove Award finalist Alex Verdugo, he could potentially have the support he’s needed. This fresh start could launch Soto’s comeback the same way Cody Bellinger’s trade to the Chicago Cubs did for him.
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (NL), First Baseman and Outfielder
Harper had a stand-out season in 2023, helping the Phillies advance to just short of an NLCS victory alongside shortstop Trea Turner and outfielder Kyle Schwarber. He posted a .293 AVG with a .401 OBP and 21 home runs. In the postseason, Harper recorded a .286 AVG with a .455 OBP and 5 home runs.
Harper is now about halfway through his 13-year contract with the Phillies, meaning he’s had plenty of time to build chemistry with his teammates and find his stride with the franchise. He has shown consistent growth and success since he emerged from the shadows in 2015, winning his first MVP award while with the Washington Nationals, and at the time, becoming the youngest to win unanimously.
“Obviously, he’s a Hall of Fame-type talent,” Harper’s agent Scott Boras said. “He wants to keep his personal pursuits in the game there...He’s been there five years, he’s kind of shown them who he is, and why he’s a franchise player.”
He continues to prove that he is a next-level talent with more potential to unlock. The 2023 Silver Slugger Award winner is in a good position to carry over his momentum from last season, so will he lead the Phillies to the World Series? If so, an MVP may follow.
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers (AL), Shortstop
If the fact that he’s the 2023 World Series MVP isn’t a strong enough argument, maybe his 2020 World Series MVP trophy adds to it. Seager is one of four players in MLB history to win two World Series MVPs, joining Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson. But a regular season MVP still evades him.
“When I won in L.A.,” Seager said, “it was a long time since they’d won. I saw what that did for a fan base. When I heard (the Rangers) had never won, it was extremely exciting for me to be part of something and to be able to be on the ground floor and build that.”
Seager was undeniably a huge factor in the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series win when he batted .400 with 8 hits, 2 homers, 5 RBIs and 7 runs scored in 6 games against the Rays. Fans had déjà vu this past season watching Seager post similar numbers as when he led the Rangers to a World Series ring. In five games, he had a batting average of .286 with 6 hits, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs and 6 runs.
He is currently healing from left sports hernia surgery which is worrisome, but Rangers general manager Chris Young says there’s still potential for Seager to play on Opening Day.
The majority of Seager’s contract with the Rangers remains, but now that he’s achieved another Series Title for two longing fanbases, will he let off the gas? Could this be a setback and impede Seager’s 2024 season? Or will it be an ever larger motivator to rise above expectations?
Or perhaps none of these players will capture a 2024 MVP. The league is chock full of talent young and old that figures to make it an exciting awards race.