Exploring the Tight Race for the American League MVP

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00:00DRS today, we look at MLB, but through the individual award races, we start with the

00:05American League MVP odds. It is a two-player race, but really is it? Aaron Judge delayed

00:11minus 600 favorite to win AL MVP. But Donnie, we have shared about a month ago, that was minus

00:1720,000. Entering the All-Star break around a minus 500 number or minus 1,500 number last week.

00:24But Cal Raleigh has continued to gain ground. And after winning the Home Run Derby,

00:29although the results of that don't actually count to his regular season production,

00:34it might change the stardom. It might change the narrative around a successful and year filled

00:41with accolades for Big Dumper. That price now, minus 600. And Raleigh is short, as we have seen

00:47all year, at plus 360. How close is this American League MVP race actually? It is close right now.

00:57And also, you're getting the good vibes from the All-Star game where Cal Raleigh won the All-Star

01:01competition for Home Run Derby. And that goes a long way. But the regular fans don't vote on the

01:06MVP. It's going to be voted on who the better player is. You take a look at Aaron Judge and

01:10his price point, you know, sitting there at that minus 600, hitting 355, I believe, at the All-Star

01:15break. Here are some of the dimensions that you do have to look at. And what I mean by that,

01:18I use that word directly, is the dimension of, all right, Aaron Judge, what's his final batting

01:24average going to be? Let's just say it's 330. If you would have told me before the season, Ben,

01:28Aaron Judge is going to hit 330 this year, give him the MVP. I don't even care what anybody else

01:32did. That's an outrageous season. But the fact we saw him flirting with 400, then he drops to 330,

01:37well, he couldn't hold. What was he supposed to hit? 375 for a Major League Baseball season? Like,

01:42nobody hits 300 anymore, let alone a power hitter. But the reason I use the word dimensions is he,

01:47talking about Aaron Judge, plays at Yankee Stadium. Cal Rowley plays out in T-Mobile in

01:52Seattle, one of the toughest places to hit home runs consistently and on a day-to-day basis.

01:56It's almost like if you're a sprinter, Ben, you have two guys at the starting line. One guy has the

02:00parachute on his back. The other guy doesn't. Like, it just feels like that's Cal Rowley running down

02:05the track against Aaron Judge saying, man, I might get an extra three to four home runs that you get a

02:11year because of the ballparks you play in compared to what I play in. Now, granted, there's no remedy

02:15for that, and it's not fair, and sports sometimes aren't fair, but that's the way I look at it. But

02:19I just want to see, like, even if, if Aaron Judge bats, again, 325, and it's within two home runs of

02:27Cal Rowley, and his team makes the playoffs and the Mariners don't, how does Cal Rowley win this?

02:31Unless, again, you do something historic. Cal Rowley dropped 69 home runs this year. It's like,

02:37well, Aaron Judge hit 49, and he hit 69. Like, yes, but you see what we're trying to play out?

02:43Like, something, the bottom has to fall out for Aaron Judge, and Aaron Judge is getting the best

02:47of it in the second half. Just a tough scene, man. It just is. Judge is going to win this thing.