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Will Astros’ Yordan Alvarez challenge Aaron Judge for AL MVP in 2026?
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- Will Astros’ Yordan Alvarez challenge Aaron Judge for AL MVP in 2026?
Will Astros' Yordan Alvarez challenge Aaron Judge for AL MVP in 2026? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Three-time American League MVP Aaron Judge is playing well once again in 2026. The slugger is tied with Munetaka Murakami for the lead in home runs with 13. Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is right behind both players with 12 long balls.
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It is far too early to confidently predict who will win the AL MVP in 2026. With that being said, it is never too early to speculate about who could make an MVP run. Judge, of course, will surely be in the conversation. Murakami has also played well and he could receive MVP recognition. Judge's New York Yankees teammate Ben Rice may be a candidate. Could Alvarez realistically win the award, though?
Winning the MVP is about more than home runs. The fact that Alvarez spends most of his time at DH will not help him in the MVP conversation, but his offensive numbers could be good enough to challenge Judge for the MVP.
Alvarez has been incredible so far this season . His performance has been overlooked at times since the Astros have struggled, but Alvarez is playing like an MVP at the moment. He is currently hitting .326/.430/.667 across 35 games played. Judge, meanwhile, has recorded a slash line of .264/.403/.628.
The Astros star ranks in the 93rd percentile for barrel percentage and 87th percentile for hard-hit percentage. His 11.4 strikeout rate is in the 94th percentile while his 13.9 percent walk rate ranks in the 85th percentile.
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A slugger who consistently crushes the baseball while limiting strikeouts and walking a lot is going to be an MVP candidate. The question is whether or not he can upset Judge in the MVP race. If the season ended today, Alvarez would have a strong argument aside from the Astros' struggles and the Yankees' success.
There is still plenty of baseball left to be played, however. If Yordan Alvarez can help the Astros get back into contention while continuing to perform at an elite level at the plate, he could potentially win the award in 2026.
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