MLB analyst predicts rising superstar to win AL MVP over Aaron Judge

Over the last four years, MLB’s MVP awards have been dominated by two names: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The New York Yankees star won his second consecutive AL MVP award and his third in four years, while the Los Angeles Dodgers star has two straight NL MVPs to go with his three AL MVPs. Many are wondering who will be the one to overthrow either player and win the award.

If you ask MLB analyst Chris Rose, he thinks that a rising star in the American League can win the award over Judge. Rose says that Kansas City Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr has the best opportunity to take the 2026 AL MVP title. The analyst points to Witt’s excellent 2025 season and his immaculate showing in the World Baseball Classic as the reasons why he has the best chance to win the award.

Does Bobby Witt Jr. have a chance to win MVP over Aaron Judge?

Presented by @MLBTheShow pic.twitter.com/YCe2Z1nYyI

— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) March 19, 2026

Witt already had an MVP-caliber season in 2025. The Royals’ shortstop led the MLB in hits with 184, his second consecutive year of doing so. He finished the season with a .295 batting average and an .852 OPS, hitting 23 homers and driving in 88 runs on the season.

The crazy part? The 2025 season was a “down” year for Witt. In 2024, Witt finished second in MVP voting after leading the MLB in batting average with an absurd .332 batting average. His talent at the plate, along with his elite fielding skills (two Gold Gloves in consecutive years), makes him a great candidate to win his first MVP award in his MLB career.

It will be hard to top Judge’s performance, though. Last season, Judge made his MVP case undeniable once again. He led the MLB in nearly every batting metric available, including all four major batting splits (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and on-base plus slugging). Voters might tire of Judge one day, but if he keeps putting up numbers like that, it will be hard to deny him his fifth MVP title.

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