The Yankees may achieve a feat they’ve never accomplished before, something that has only occurred once in either league since the Rookie of the Year award voting was expanded in 1980: placing two players among the top five for both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been seen as notable contenders throughout much of this season, with both expected to secure a spot in the top five for the AL MVP award. Meanwhile, Austin Wells’ impressive performance in the second half of the season positions him to potentially join Luis Gil among the top five in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Prior to 1980, the Rookie voting had a somewhat unpredictable quality. During the first two years (1947-48) in which the national association of the Baseball Writers Association of America selected a winner, there was just one award for both leagues. Up until 1956, each voter independently defined what counted as a rookie. The current eligibility criteria for rookies—fewer than 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, and 45 days on the active roster—were not officially established until 1971.
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have had phenomenal seasons for the Yankees in 2024. Robert Sabo for NY Post
In 1980, as the league expanded from 16 teams, where Jackie Robinson earned the first Rookie award in 1947, to 26 teams, the voting shifted from a single winner to a top three selection. As there are now 30 teams and a greater willingness to field young players, I would advocate for expanding the ballot to five. But that discussion can be saved for another time.
Before 1980, there were five instances in which a team boasted two top-five finishers for both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, one of which occurred in 1975 when Boston’s Fred Lynn claimed the AL MVP while Jim Rice finished third, leading to a 1-2 finish for AL Rookie of the Year.
Since 1980, this has only happened once—in 2007. That year, the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez captured his third AL MVP award. The Red Sox had David Ortiz and Mike Lowell finish fourth and fifth, respectively, while Dustin Pedroia secured the Rookie of the Year award, with Daisuke Matsuzaka finishing fourth (and another Red Sox player, Hideki Okajima, coming in sixth). With such high-level performances, Boston also claimed the World Series title.
In that postseason, Lowell, Pedroia, and Ortiz excelled—Lowell received the World Series MVP award. Although Matsuzaka’s overall performance was mediocre, he clinched an ALCS Game 7 victory against Cleveland and contributed to the World Series Game 3 win, leading to a sweep over Colorado.
Red Sox players Mike Lowell (L) and David Ortiz (R) celebrate the victory against the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the ALCS at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on 12 October 2007. EPA
This situation adds pressure to this year’s Yankees—should they receive significant awards recognition, it would mark a crucial moment in their pursuit to end a World Series appearance drought that has lasted since 2009.
The awards are voted on by the BBWAA prior to the postseason, but the results are not disclosed until several weeks after the conclusion of the World Series. Therefore, the Yankees will be left in suspense during October.
It has become increasingly clear that, barring any dramatic changes in the final two weeks, either Judge or Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. will secure the AL MVP award, while Soto and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson are likely to round out the top four in some order.
The AL Rookie race appears more dynamic. The top five contenders are anticipated to consist of Gil, Wells, Boston’s Wilyer Abreu, Baltimore’s Colton Cowser, and Oakland’s Mason Miller, although Cleveland’s exceptional reliever Cade Smith could disrupt this lineup. However, it’s challenging to envision a top five without Gil, who competently stepped in for Gerrit Cole in the first half of the season, and Wells, who addressed the Yankees’ cleanup issues in the latter half.
Additionally, Gil, Wells, and Anthony Volpe, who finished eighth for the Rookie of the Year voting, demonstrate the rising talent within the Yankees’ roster.
While the Yankees boast promising homegrown talent, including last year’s AL Rookie, the team faces significant pressure now, as the future remains uncertain.
From 2014 to 2018, the Yankees had five players who placed in the top three for the AL Rookie of the Year award: Judge, Dellin Betances, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar, and Gleyber Torres. They also had two players finish sixth: Masahiro Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery. Judge, who earned the Rookie award, was the runner-up for the AL MVP in 2017. Unfortunately, that year, a Game 7 loss in the ALCS to Houston was the Yankees’ closest approach to the World Series during this period. Among that talented group, only Judge and Torres remain, with Torres entering his contract year.
If Judge and Soto end up in the top five for MVP, it wouldn’t be an unusual occurrence among teammates. Last season, three pairs of teammates finished in the top five across both leagues. Notably, both leagues have seen at least one duo finish in the top five for the last four seasons, with the AL achieving this in six of the last seven years.
However, linking top-five MVP finishes with top-five Rookie finishes becomes less common. This rarity can be attributed to the fact that MVPs typically emerge from the top teams, whereas rookies can be found on various squads, often getting extended opportunities on less successful teams.
For instance, if Judge secures the AL MVP and either Gil or Wells wins the Rookie award, it would mark the first occurrence of such an achievement since 2010, when Josh Hamilton from the Rangers claimed the AL MVP while Neftali Feliz took home the Rookie of the Year. Ichiro Suzuki notably won both awards in 2001. The last instance in the NL was in 1998 with the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa as MVP and Kerry Wood as Rookie of the Year.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells reacts after hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on September 9, 2024. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
During a smaller league’s dominant era for the Yankees, they secured both awards in 1951, with Yogi Berra as the MVP and Gil McDougald as the Rookie of the Year. They repeated this feat in 1954 (Berra/Bob Grim), 1957 (Mickey Mantle/Tony Kubek), and 1962 (Roger Maris/Tom Tresh).
The 1962 season was among the Yankees’ closest approaches to achieving the remarkable quadruple they’re aiming for this season, with Maris and Mickey Mantle finishing first and second for MVP, respectively, while Tresh was recognized as Rookie of the Year. In 1958, Bob Turley finished second for AL MVP, Mantle was fifth, and Ryne Duren placed second for Rookie of the Year. During 1957, when Mantle and Kubek garnered their accolades, McDougald ended up fifth for MVP. In 1951, when Berra and McDougald won their awards, Allie Reynolds finished third for MVP. Additionally, in 1949, Phil Rizzuto and Joe Page placed second and third for MVP while Jerry Coleman was third for Rookie of the Year.
Out of those five seasons, the Yankees triumphed in the World Series four times, with a seven-game loss to the Braves in 1957. It’s worth noting that the context was vastly different back then, particularly with only the team possessing the best record in each league qualifying for the World Series.
