MLB 2024: Projecting Each Team’s Most Valuable Player – Who Will Shine

Predicting Each MLB Team’s Most Valuable Player in 2024

As the 2024 MLB season unfolds, the race for the Most Valuable Player on each team is heating up. With star players and rising talents across the league, the competition is fierce. Let’s take a closer look at who could emerge as the MVP for each team:

NL East

1. Atlanta Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr., RF

   Acuña, the defending NL MVP, is a force to be reckoned with on the Braves. His explosive play and overall skill make him a top contender for the MVP title.

2. Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper, 1B

   Harper, a multiple MVP winner, continues to showcase his talent and leadership on the Phillies. His standout performances make him a strong candidate for the MVP.

3. Miami Marlins: Luis Arráez, 2B

   Arráez’s consistent performance and batting titles position him as a key player for the Marlins in the MVP race.

4. New York Mets: Francisco Lindor, SS

   Despite a slow start, Lindor’s potential to impact the Mets’ season and his past achievements make him a contender for the MVP title.

5. Washington Nationals: CJ Abrams, SS

   Abrams’ strong start and long-term potential with the Nationals make him a promising candidate for the team’s MVP in 2024.

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers: Freddy Peralta, RHP

   Peralta’s crucial role in the Brewers’ pitching staff and his strong start to the season position him as a top contender for the team’s MVP.

2. Chicago Cubs: Seiya Suzuki, RF

   With a standout performance in the early season, Suzuki emerges as a key player for the Cubs in the MVP race.

3. Cincinnati Reds: Spencer Steer, LF

   Steer’s impressive stats and potential make him a standout choice for the Reds’ MVP in 2024.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B

   Hayes’ defensive prowess and impact on the Pirates’ performance position him as a strong contender for the team’s MVP title.

5. St. Louis Cardinals: Nolan Arenado, 3B

   Despite a challenging season, Arenado’s experience and skill make him a top player for the Cardinals in the MVP race.

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers: Mookie Betts, SS

   Betts’ exceptional performance and versatility on the field make him a standout choice for the Dodgers’ MVP in 2024.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll, OF

   Carroll’s speed and ability to play multiple positions position him as a top contender for the Diamondbacks’ MVP title.

3. San Diego Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr., RF

   Tatis’ defensive skills and offensive prowess make him a key player for the Padres in the MVP race.

4. San Francisco Giants: Logan Webb, RHP

   Webb’s consistency and pitching performance make him a top contender for the Giants’ MVP title in 2024.

5. Colorado Rockies: Nolan Jones, LF

   Despite a slow start, Jones’ potential and performance at Coors Field position him as a strong candidate for the Rockies’ MVP.

AL East

1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C

   Rutschman’s impact and leadership on the Orioles make him a top contender for the team’s MVP title in 2024.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Yandy Díaz, 1B

   Díaz’s consistent performance and offensive prowess position him as a key player for the Rays in the MVP race.

3. Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, SS

   Bichette’s defensive improvement and offensive skills make him a standout choice for the Blue Jays’ MVP in 2024.

4. New York Yankees: Juan Soto, RF

   Soto’s offensive impact and defensive improvement position him as a top contender for the Yankees’ MVP title.

5. Boston Red Sox: Rafael Devers, 3B

   Devers’ standout performance and leadership on the Red Sox make him a strong candidate for the team’s MVP in 2024.

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins: Pablo López, RHP

   López’s pitching performance and impact on the Twins’ season position him as a top contender for the team’s MVP title in 2024.

2. Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal, LHP

   Skubal’s impressive start to the season and pitching prowess make him a standout choice for the Tigers’ MVP in 2024.

3. Cleveland Guardians: José Ramírez, 3B

   Ramírez’s consistent performance and impact on the Guardians make him a top contender for the team’s MVP title.

4. Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert Jr., CF

   Despite an injury, Robert’s potential and impact on the White Sox position him as a key player in the MVP race.

5. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS

   Witt’s performance and leadership on the Royals make him a standout choice for the team’s MVP in 2024.

AL West

1. Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez, DH/LF

   Alvarez’s offensive prowess and impact on the Astros make him a top contender for the team’s MVP title in 2024.

2. Texas Rangers: Corey Seager, SS

   Seager’s experience and skill on the field position him as a standout choice for the Rangers’ MVP in 2024.

3. Seattle Mariners: Julio Rodríguez, CF

   Rodríguez’s rising talent and impact on the Mariners make him a key player in the MVP race for the team.

4. Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout, CF

   Trout’s experience and skill make him a top contender for the Angels’ MVP title in 2024.

5. Oakland Athletics: Paul Blackburn

   Blackburn’s strong start to the season and impact on the Athletics position him as a key player in the MVP race for the team.

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Predicting Each MLB Team’s Most Valuable Player in 2024

AL East

1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C

   2021 NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes—particularly because he’s in a contract year—drew strong consideration here. So did Gunnar Henderson, and even though he’s not yet at the MLB level, Jackson Holliday did as well.

   Ultimately, though, Rutschman is the face of the Orioles. He finished runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 and was an All-Star in his first full season in 2023. Rutschman has the chance to have the best peak of any catcher since Buster Posey and help the Orioles to a sustained period of success in the process.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Yandy Díaz, 1B

   Even more than normal, the Rays are a talented team that lacks star power. Randy Arozarena is the face of the team but seems to only be a superstar when he’s on the national stage. Ace Shane McClanahan is going to miss the entire season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

   So perhaps this is the year to truly appreciate the player that Díaz has become. Between 2022 and 2023, Díaz posted an .881 OPS. He won the AL batting title with a .330 batting average last season. Right now, he’s the best player on the Rays, a team that always finds a way to be competitive but rarely keeps stars for extended periods.

3. Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, SS

   For the Blue Jays to compete for the AL East title, they probably need Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to regain the offensive form he showed in 2021, when he finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in AL MVP voting.

   However, the two seasons we’ve seen since then lead you to believe that campaign was an outlier for Guerrero. Granted, Bichette is off to a slow start, but he was a better player than Guerrero between 2022 and 2023. His defensive metrics also improved drastically between 2022 and 2023, going from minus-16 defensive runs saved to five DRS.

4. New York Yankees: Juan Soto, RF

   Is it out of pocket for Aaron Judge not to be picked here? Maybe. But between Judge’s injury history and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole being on the injured list, Soto was a relatively easy selection.

   Soto is a shoo-in to lead baseball in walks every year and will hit at least 30 home runs this season while playing 81 home games at Yankee Stadium. The most encouraging development is that he has started his contract year with much better play in the outfield.

   Soto already has two defensive runs saved and two outs above average in right field, as opposed to the minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-nine outs above average he posted in left field for the Padres last season.

   The Yankees should get ready. The total value for Soto’s next contract is probably going to start with a five, if not higher.

5. Boston Red Sox: Rafael Devers, 3B

   It’s very encouraging for the Red Sox that offseason acquisition Tyler O’Neill is off to a quick start in Boston. But Lucas Giolito was lost for the season before it began, and Trevor Story might be on the same path after dislocating his left shoulder this past weekend.

   So let’s be real: The competition is pretty thin for Devers. He was part of a loaded 2018 Red Sox team that won 108 games and the World Series, as he shared a lineup with Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, among others.

   Since then, the Red Sox have stopped spending like the Red Sox. Devers is the only true star remaining on the team, which makes him the default selection.

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins: Pablo López, RHP

   With the offseason departure of last year’s AL Cy Young Award runner-up Sonny Gray, the Twins are even more dependent on López in his second year with the team. During his first season with the Twins, López was an All-Star for the first time while also finishing seventh in the Cy Young race.

   So far, López is off to a strong start, with a 2.84 ERA across his first two starts of the year. He has some intriguing pieces behind him in Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan, but ultimately there’s no debating it anymore—López is the ace of this staff.

2. Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal, LHP

   Through two starts this season, Skubal has struck out 15 batters. That’s done little to quell the hype that was around him entering the campaign, after he posted a 3.3 WAR over just 15 starts a season ago.

   Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson are all exciting young position players, but if healthy, Skubal will likely be at the forefront of the AL Cy Young race. To return to the postseason for the first time since 2014, the Tigers need that type of season from Skubal at the top of their rotation.

3. Cleveland Guardians: José Ramírez, 3B

   2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber is out for the season as he prepares for Tommy John surgery, but Ramírez would have been the pick for the Guardians regardless.

   On three occasions, Ramírez has been an AL MVP finalist, including finishing as runner-up for the Junior Circuit’s top honor in 2020. Finally getting over the hump and winning the award would establish Ramírez as someone who is on a path to Cooperstown and might help the offensively challenged Guardians to sneak into the postseason.

4. Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert Jr., CF

   How bad are the White Sox? Robert is on the injured list with a Grade 2 hip flexor strain that could force him to miss close to two months, and he’s still the obvious pick.

   Who else would you go with? Former AL Cy Young runner-up Dylan Cease was traded to the Padres during spring training. Oft-injured slugger Eloy Jiménez is also on the injured list with a strained adductor.

   Maybe Garrett Crochet’s strong start to the season is a sign he’s going to have a breakout campaign. But the White Sox are really down bad, which is why Robert is the selection.

5. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS

   Witt led baseball with 11 triples a season ago, en route to finishing seventh in AL MVP voting. The Royals rewarded the face of their franchise with an 11-year, $288.8 million extension this past offseason, so he’ll probably be the team MVP for the better part of the next decade.

   Having already doubled five times this season, Witt looks not only like the best player on the Royals, but also like someone who is entering the conversation among the top position players in the AL.