Yordan Alvarez Unanimously Wins American League MVP Award

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has been named the American League Most Valuable Player, receiving all 30 first-place votes in the Baseball Writers' Association of America balloting. The result makes him the second Astros player to win the AL MVP award and the third Astros MVP overall.

A unanimous result

Alvarez's unanimous selection is a rare achievement. The election marks the 14th time the AL MVP winner was a unanimous choice, according to the BBWAA. Shohei Ohtani is the only player to win unanimously more than once, doing so four times, while Aaron Judge (2024) is the most recent previous unanimous AL winner on that list.

Alvarez is also only the second designated hitter to be honored with the award. Ohtani was primarily a DH in all four of his winning seasons. Alvarez, Junior Caminero and Bobby Witt Jr. were the only players named on every ballot.

Franchise history and the runner-up

Jose Altuve won the AL MVP for Houston in 2017, and Jeff Bagwell won the National League award for the franchise in 1994. The Astros moved from the National League Central to the American League West in 2013.

Runner-up Junior Caminero recorded the highest finish in voting by a Tampa Bay Rays player. The Rays have not had an MVP winner in their 29 seasons. Their previous best showing was sixth place, reached by Evan Longoria in 2010 and 2013 and by Yandy Diaz in 2023.

How the voting worked

Ballots were submitted before the postseason by two writers in each league city. Points were awarded on a 14-9-8 scale for the top three places and descended to one point for 10th place. Bobby Witt Jr. finished third.

Coverage from Yahoo Sports noted that Alvarez had at one point flirted with the Triple Crown during the season, though the award itself was decided by the ballots.

What we know so far

The BBWAA's vote confirms Alvarez as the 2026 American League MVP, with the Astros now holding two AL MVP awards in franchise history. Alvarez's selection also adds his name to a short list of unanimous AL winners, a group that includes Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mickey Mantle.

Alvarez also shared the Hank Aaron Award for 1st-time winners in a separate MLB.com report, which described his career year alongside that honor.