MVPs in spring training

The 2025 spring training games have already begun. We’ve seen several players have done a great job in spring training games. Some players are working hard to “get a job” in the big leagues. Some players just have shown that they are ready for the new season.

 

While watching spring training games, I began to think about a question. Over the last few seasons, did players who won the MVP awards play well in spring training games?

 

To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the MLB website.

 

Firstly, let’s start with the 2020 season. It was a shortened season. In the AL, Jose Abreu won the MVP award, slashing .317/.370/.617 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI. In spring training, he hit .257/.316/.371 with 1 home run and 3 RBI in 12 games. At the same time, Freddie Freeman was the 2020 NL MVP award winner. Freeman hit .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. In the spring training, he batted .313/.435/.313 with 3 RBI in 9 games.

 

In 2021, Bryce Harper won the NL MVP award. He played 141 games, hitting .309/.429/.615 with 35 home runs and 84 RBI. Harper played 15 games in spring training, slashing .343/.477/.771 with 4 home runs and 8 RBI. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani won the 2021 AL MVP award. As a batter, he slashed .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs and 100 RBI. On the mound, he earned 9 wins and took 2 losses. Ohtani owned a 3.18 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 130.1 innings. In the spring training, he took the mound 4 times, posting an ERA over 12. However, he did hit well in 15 spring training games with 5 home runs and 8 RBI.

 

In 2022, Aaron Judge won the AL MVP award. He finished the season with 62 home runs and 131 RBI. His OPS was 1.111. In the 2022 spring training, Judge crushed 4 home run and collected 7 RBI in 11 games. Well, Paul Goldschmidt is now playing for the Yankees. But back in 2022, he was playing for the Cardinals. He was the 2022 NL MVP award winner. Goldschmidt slashed .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI in 151 games. In the spring training, he did hit well with 4 home runs and 7 RBI in 10 games.

 

In addition, Ronald Acuna Jr. won the 2023 NL MVP award. He finished the season with 41 home runs, 106 RBI and 73 steals. His OPS was over 1.000. In the 2023 spring training, Acuna Jr. hit .313/.421/.500 with 1 home run and 3 RBI in 11 games. Moreover, Ohtani won the AL MVP award again. He played 135 games in 2023, hitting .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs and 95 RBI. Furthermore, he made 23 starts, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 132 innings. In the spring training, he only made 1 start without allowing any runs over 2.1 innings. Also, he owned an OPS over 1.100 in 6 spring training games.

 

Finally, Aaron Judge won the 2024 AL MVP award. Yes, he did it again. Judge slashed .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI over 158 games. However, he didn’t hit any home runs in 10 spring training games. In the meantime, Ohtani played 11 games in spring training, hitting .393/.500/.714 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. He finished the 2024 season with 54 home runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases. He created the 50-50 club.

 

Looking back at the MVP award winners over the last 5 seasons, most of them did play well in spring training games and stayed hot during the regular season. Well, the 2020 season was a bit different. Nonetheless, there are still some interesting cases. Ohtani didn’t pitch well in the 2021 spring training, but he did a good job on the mound during the regular season. Judge didn’t crush any home runs in the spring training last year. Nevertheless, he blasted 58 home runs last season. So, by watching spring training games, we could see if those star players have a good spring. Nonetheless, a key thing is that it’s only spring training, many players know how to adjust and gradually heat up during the regular season.