The race for the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) is heating up, and while Juan Soto is the current favorite, MLB Network analyst Sean Casey has thrown a curveball into the mix by declaring, “Don’t sleep on Judgy!” Casey’s outrageous forecast underscores Aaron Judge’s potential, who has been lurking in the shadow of Soto’s impressive season. Although Soto leads AL in on-base percentage (.419), OPS (.968), and RBIs (33), Judge’s power and clutch hitting can easily put him in MVP talk.

“When he comes, he comes big time… with some absolute rockets, and he’ll get going,” Casey confidently asserted during a recent MLB Network discussion. Another person who said something similar is Jon Morosi, a revered MLB Network analyst who admitted that Juan Soto should win it but acknowledged “it is hard to not vote for an up-the-middle dynamic defensive player” such as the Baltimore Orioles’ shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

Moreover, the historical significance of shortstops and catchers in the voting process complicates the MVP race even more. Morosi emphasized the “special defensive value” that these positions bring, reminding everyone that a shortstop hasn’t won the MVP since Jimmy Rollins in 2007.

However, despite all this buzz around Juan Soto who reportedly turned down seven contract offers before signing with the Bombers, winning MVP is another matter entirely. His impressive stats make good evidence for his candidacy though. But with Judge possibly rebounding back to life and Henderson rising up through the ranks, all might be lost for Soto.

This adds another dimension to the MVP narrative as it pertains to Houston Astros and New York Yankees this season, with the Bombers’ dominance over the Astros adding more confusion. One may question whether Soto’s performance against weak teams was particularly exceptional. Nonetheless, such remarkable consistency throughout the season and the ability to hit when needed ensures that Soto remains impressive.

Juan Soto’s soaring swing: 440-foot moonshots fuel MVP campaign

The different perspectives of MLB Network analysts reveal how unpredictable an MVP race can be. While it is hard to dispute Soto’s early lead, other challengers, such as Judge and Henderson, have contributed some excitement and uncertainty to this competition. The remainder of the season will be interesting to see as these stories develop and Soto maintains his front-runner position or someone else emerges for MVP accolades.

On top of that, a recent performance against the Houston Astros including a 440-foot opposite-field home run has further cemented Juan Soto’s claim for MVP in this season. This jaw-dropping feat was described by another revered MLB insider, Jon Heyman, as an “effortless swing” noting how effortlessly Sato defeats any batting sequence even with the most formidable pitchers on the mound.

In Heyman’s words, “Most people don’t just… flick baseballs with level swings and send them 440 feet in the opposite direction. Soto is not, in fact, most people.” While Soto’s triumphs against the Astros also help build up his case for MVP, let us also consider the Yankees’ collective effort. As per Heyman, New York’s dominance has put the Astros “in an early hole in [the] AL West.”

Therefore, would it matter if NY continues their winning trend along with another great play from Juan Soto to establish who is going to win AL MVP? Are we going to continue to watch leading candidates take away this coveted award shine through till the end of the season, or will we see either Aaron Judge or Gunnar Henderson finally break out and claim it?