Who would you pick for ALDS MVP?

10/11/2024 11:30 AM

With the Yankees advancing past Kansas City, let's take a look at who made it happen.

I made it back from yoga just in time for the first inning of Game 4 Thursday night. I didn't know it at the time, but I wouldn't just be exhaling after a tadasana.

The Yankees emerged triumphant in their American League Division Series showdown with the feisty Royals. The result isn't necessarily surprising—the Royals don't have a good offense outside of Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino, who didn't do much this series. Outside of a Perez homer in Game 2 and a single RBI by Pasquantino in the finale, much of the Royals' damage was done by other characters in the lineup, who just were never going to inspire the same worries for the New York pitching staff.

The way the Yankees secured the series win, however, was a bit of a surprise. Aaron Judge was dormant, with only a single to show for his efforts. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón didn't give the Yankees length during the first couple games (although Cole redeemed himself in the finale with a seven-inning, one-run, vintage Cole performance). Instead, the Yankees' bullpen that was much-maligned by pundits before the series really stepped up and put the Kansas City offense in a vise, while Giancarlo Stanton reemerged as October Stanton. Gleyber Torres continued being the consummate leadoff hitter, while even Alex Verdugo had his moments. On the other hand, Judge had a terrible four-game stretch. Baseball really is something.

There were a couple of standout players that played outsized roles in the series. Speaking of that much-maligned bullpen, Clay Holmes put in four incredibly gutsy performances. Demoted from the closer role in mid-September, Holmes was still told that he would have important outs to record in October. Boy, was that true. He pitched in every game of this series, stifling Royals hitters left and right.

Holmes allowed a mere infield single while recording five outs in Game 1, earning the win in relief of Cole. He pitched a full inning in Game 1, notched four outs in Game 3, and covered in the eighth in the clincher. Holmes didn't allow a single run during that stretch. In fact, he hasn't allowed a single run in his postseason career, a span of 13 innings across 10 games.

The Game 1 appearance featured Holmes sitting down the heart of the Royals order in a tie game, while his Game 3 appearance saw him retire Perez, a hot Yuli Gurriel, and MJ Melendez, who took Cole yard in Game 1. However, his effort in Game 2 may be the most impressive. With Maikel Garcia on second with one out, Holmes struck out Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino in back-to-back ABs to close out the inning. His Game 4 performance was perhaps the most dominant he's looked all year—his sinker, at 97 mph, was locking up lefties. Holmes continued his redemption tour in some really tight spots.

While Holmes was impressive, Luke Weaver was downright jaw-dropping. He went beyond one inning in both for saves in both Game 1 and Game 3, and looked absolutely dominant for every at-bat. In Game 1, he struck out Garcia in the eighth before striking out Michael Massey and Witt, locking down a very tight series opener.

Weaver's Game 3 outing was far less flashy, but no less effective. He's had pinpoint accuracy with his mean fastball so far, setting up what's been a devastating changeup. When I say devastating, I mean he is making major leaguers look like absolute fools.

Throughout it all, Weaver has displayed the confidence requisite of a closer in October, too, keeping his emotions in check until the final out. He's looked unflappable because he's been untouchable, and that held true for the save in Game 4 to end the Royals' season. Going into 2024, no one could've pictured Weaver as the team's undisputed closer headed into the ALCS. Baseball really is something.

However, as great as Weaver was, Giancarlo Stanton added to his postseason ledger by nearly singlehandedly winning Game 3 for the Yankees with a double, a single, and the game-winning home run in the eighth (in addition to his earlier stolen base, just for kicks).

Stanton added another two hits in Game 4, including an RBI single to score Judge from second for a key insurance run. He hit .375 with a 1.132 OPS this series, raising his postseason OPS to .982. The Yankees above him in that regard? Some guys named Babe, Lou, and Reggie. This was after he faced severe criticism for the detriment he poses on the basepaths (least of all from Bob Costas, who treated him as If he was a prize thoroughbred who broke a leg). Simply put, Stanton showed why the Yankees will put up with the ugly hacks, DH-induced lineup inflexibility, and glacial-paced running—it's because he still has the ability to single-handedly power an offense in October. With Judge in a stupor this series, I'm not sure the Yankees would have won without him. For that reason, he deserves the ALDS MVP.

Although the Yankees offense was sluggish outside of Stanton, there are some bright spots—important ones too. Gleyber has continued his astonishing turnaround since sliding into the leadoff spot. He's almost the Weaver of the lineup—the Yankees needed a closer and a leadoff hitter, and just slid those two into their respective roles to remarkable effect. Gleyber is seeing the ball extremely well, and was probably robbed of a double down the line in Game 3. Anthony Volpe has also strung together nice at-bats despite some defensive miscues. Juan Soto is still Juan Soto.

In all, the Yankees advancing to the fourth ALCS in the Judge era despite him slumping can be viewed in two ways—either the Yankees got lucky that their star was mostly absent or that the team will really start cooking with gas once he starts getting hot. So while Giancarlo may be the MVP of this series, Judge will be the Most Important Player in the next, for better or for worse.

Stanton's our pick, but would you go in a different direction? Let us know!