A survey conducted among 35 journalists covering Major League Baseball has placed the Cuban slugger Yordan Álvarez as the leading candidate to capture the 2026 American League Most Valuable Player Award. Álvarez finished with the highest total point tally edging out Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. in the voting. Fellow countrymen Yandy Díaz and Miguel Vargas also received support from voters
Although Judge received 10 first-place votes and Witt Jr. collected 13, the scoring system rewarded Yordan’s consistency across the ballots, allowing him to finish atop the overall standings. The Cuban star’s season continues to solidify his status as one of the most feared hitters in baseball and now also as the leading favorite to win one of Major League Baseball’s most prestigious awards.
Heading to the mid-season point, the native of Las Tunas, Cuba is in the hunt for a possible quadruple crown, the designated hitter is first in the league in batting average (.316), homeruns (21) and OPS (1.075), while only trailing teammate Christian Walker in runs batted in 45 to 44. If Álvarez is to win the prize he’ll be able to hoist it on his mantle next to his Rookie of the Year Award (2019) and American League Championship Series MVP (2021).