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Four Candidates To Take Home Their First A.L. MVP Award In 2026

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Last season, the American League saw Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh go head-to-head in an AL Most Valuable Player race that was deemed a coin toss by many. In the end, Judge prevailed, taking home his second straight MVP and third overall. 

While dethroning Judge is no easy task, the AL boasts high-end talent and many players capable of putting together MVP-esque seasons. Here is a look at Gunnar Henderson, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bobby Witt Jr. and Yordan Alvarez as players who could take home their first career MVP award in 2026.

Gunnar Henderson

The former 2023 Rookie of the Year, Henderson, took a step back in 2025, much like the entire Baltimore Orioles team. The Orioles’ shortstop began the season on the injured list with a right intercostal strain, which would end up costing him the first seven games of the regular season. Upon returning, Henderson struggled through most of April, batting .228 with three home runs, five RBIs and only a .268 OBP. 

The Orioles ended up going 9-16 in April, a mark that was too tough for them to overcome. For the season, Henderson finished with a slash line of .274/.349/.438, to go along with 17 home runs and 68 RBI, both career lows for Henderson over the duration of a full season. 

In 2024, Henderson finished fourth overall in AL MVP voting, after a season that saw him bat .281, slug 37 home runs, the most in a season by an Orioles shortstop and drive in 92 runs. Henderson continued to be dynamic on the base paths in 2025, stealing a career high of 30 bases, while only being caught five times, bringing a power-speed combo that is so desirable around the league. 

In the offseason, the Orioles brought in power bat Pete Alonso on a five-year, $155 million contract. This move should help provide protection to Henderson, as the two will slot in the top half of the Orioles lineup together. A healthy spring training, combined with the addition of Alonso, could put Henderson in a strong spot to take a run at dethroning Judge as AL MVP in 2026. 

 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 

For many years, it feels like this is the year Guerrero Jr. finally wins that elusive MVP award. Since the 2021 season, which saw Guerrero Jr. finish runner-up to Shohei Ohtani as MVP, the 26-year-old has been unable to climb that high again. The 2021 season saw Guerrero Jr. tie Salvador Perez for the league lead in home runs, while also driving in a career high 111 runs. 

Last season, Guerrero Jr. posted a .292/.381/.467 slash line alongside 23 home runs and 84 RBIs. His metrics told an even more dominant story: his .300 xBA ranked in the top 1% of the league, while his hard-hit and strikeout rates both landed in the 90th percentile or higher. While these numbers impress, his postseason explosion—which the world witnessed firsthand — proves he has the next-level gear required to capture the AL MVP award.

During the playoffs, Guerrero Jr. dismantled opposing pitching with a staggering .397/.494/.795 slash line. The Blue Jays’ first baseman slugged eight home runs and racked up 15 RBIs in just 73 at-bats, single-handedly carrying the offense while the team awaited Bo Bichette’s return in the World Series.

With Bichette now with the New York Mets, this is solely Guerrero Jr.’s team. With the momentum built during the 2025 playoffs, Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays will be looking for a follow-up season to ease the heartbreak of the Game 7 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

 

Bobby Witt Jr.

The runner-up to Judge’s MVP season in 2024, Witt Jr. represents one of the best all-around talents MLB has to offer. A career .290 hitter with a .390 career OBP, Witt Jr. has the ability for 30 home run, 30 steal seasons, year-in-year-out. A two-time 30-30 season player, Witt Jr.’s power-speed combo puts the shortstop on the short list when drafting MVP candidates. 

Last season, Witt Jr. took a step back from 2024, but still was able to bat .295, hit 23 home runs and drive in 88 runs, to go along with 38 stolen bases, tied for fourth most in MLB. Witt Jr. finished fourth overall in AL MVP voting, trailing only Judge, Raleigh and José Ramírez. 

Witt Jr. led MLB in hits and doubles in 2025, taking advantage of the spacious outfield that Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals, has been accustomed to having. With the dimension changes to Kauffman Stadium for 2026, which will see the walls lowered and moved in, Witt Jr.’s power numbers could surge in 2026. 

Witt Jr.’s numbers were worse at home last season compared to on the road. Witt Jr. hit 11 of his 23 home runs and batted 18 points lower at Kauffman Stadium. With new dimensions and continued growth of players in the Royals lineup around him, Witt Jr. could be leading the charge for voters’ ballots in 2026. 

 

Yordan Alvarez

2025 was not kind to Alvarez. The Astros slugger struggled to remain healthy, appearing in only 48 games, due to missing over three months with a hand injury, then missing the final week-plus with an ankle injury. 

Excluding 2020, where Alvarez appeared in only two games, 2025 was the fewest number of games, to go along with career lows in just about every offensive category. The 28-year-old batted .273 with six home runs and 23 RBIs to go along with a .367 OBP. 

In the four years prior, Alvarez quietly smashed 33, 37, 31, and 35 home runs while driving in 104, 97, 97, and 86 RBIs, cementing his status as one of MLB’s most dangerous hitters. The 6-foot-4 outfielder also boasts elite contact and discipline, evidenced by his career .297 average and .367 OBP.

Alvarez secured third place in the 2021 AL MVP race, trailing only Judge and Ohtani. Following a season plagued by injuries, the Cuban outfielder now holds the key to the Astros’ postseason return. His resurgence comes after a rare year where Houston failed to claim the AL West title—their first such miss in a full 162-game season since 2016.

(Top Image Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images)