Cam Schlittler vs. Yordan Alvarez: The key stats you need to know in 2026 AL MVP debate

Cam Schlittler vs. Yordan Alvarez: The key stats you need to know in 2026 AL MVP debate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In all likelihood, a position player will not be winning the AL MVP this year.

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In varying types of down years for names like Bobby Witt Jr., Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the race to be named the best player in the American League was more open than anticipated in 2026. Only two AL teams won at least 90 games, and of the top-10 leaders in Fangraphs WAR, seven came from the National League.

While Rays slugger Junior Caminero also appears likely to finish at the top of most ballots, it appears to be a two-player race for AL MVP with the postseason now underway. The Astros‘ Yordan Alvarez was the best slugger in baseball for most of the year, while the Yankees‘ Cam Schlittler was far-and-away the best pitcher in the AL by most measures.

Alvarez may be the favorite, seeking to become the first full-time DH to win an MVP award, but there’s cases to be made for both players.

Here are the key numbers for the AL MVP race between Alvarez and Schlittler.

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MORE: The Sporting News’ staff predictions for the 2026 MLB postseason

Yordan Alvarez case for AL MVP

Alvarez has been considered the favorite for AL MVP nearly all season, opening the season with a red-hot spring (17 HRs, 32 RBIs in April and May combined) and essentially single-handedly keeping the Astros in postseason contention at times.

For months, “Air Yordan” was on track to become the first AL hitter since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 to win the triple crown, leading his league in batting average, home runs and RBIs — and regardless of how you feel about more traditional stats like batting average, it would have been a feat that virtually locked an MVP season. Alvarez didn’t quite accomplish the triple crown, though, as Pete Alonso‘s 43 home runs and 113 RBIs beat him out in those respective categories.

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Still, Alvarez’s raw numbers were outstanding, making an argument as the most feared hitter in baseball in 2026:

Alvarez led all of baseball in batting average, walks, intentional walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.

If there was ever a season for a designated hitter to win MVP — something that has never happened before outside of Shohei Ohtani‘s four awards while also often pitching — it’s Alvarez in 2026. Despite not playing in the field, plenty of metrics still graded Alvarez as one of the most valuable players to his team in the American League. While David Ortiz had five top-five MVP finishes during his career, he never won one. Alvarez had a very Ortiz-like 2026 campaign, one in which the star bats across the AL mostly disappointed.

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While Judge missed most of the season with an injury, Guerrero managed just nine home runs and a .688 OPS, and Witt had his lowest OPS (.800) since his rookie year while missing the playoffs, Alvarez was an offensive force. His bat alone was enough to make him one of the most consequential players in the AL.

Alvarez’s “value” argument for the award is also clear. The Astros made the postseason despite winning just 81 games, the lowest total for a division winner in MLB history. Without Alvarez, Houston likely wouldn’t have even come close to taking the AL West crown.

Alvarez didn’t quite secure the triple crown, but it may not matter. He was the batting champion and a dominant slugger for a team that scraped its way to the postseason. Voters historically haven’t favored players who only hit, but Alvarez looks like an exception to that trend in 2026.

Cam Schlittler case for AL MVP

On the other hand, the lack of star-level position players in the American League this season is also an advantage for Schlittler, who is a near-lock to win the AL Cy Young award. Only 21 starting pitchers have won an MVP, the most recent of which was Clayton Kershaw in 2014.

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For comparison purposes, Kershaw (21-3, 1.77 ERA, 239 Ks in 27 starts) had 18 first-place votes in 2014, while the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton (.288 average, 37 HRs, 105 RBIs) finished in second with eight first-place votes. Similarly, it was a down year for star NL position players, something that led to Kershaw winning.

Schlittler likely faces tougher chances than Kershaw did, though. Not only were Kershaw’s numbers better than the Yankees star in 2026 (14-6, 1.95 ERA, 239 Ks in 33 starts), but Alvarez’s offensive numbers also certainly top Stanton’s in 2014. If the 25-year-old starter is going to take home AL MVP, voters will have to be swayed by Schlittler’s combination of dominance and durability this season.

Schlittler, after breaking onto the scene in the 2025 postseason for New York, finished tied for second in the AL in starts (33), ranked second in total innings (193.2) and third in strikeouts (239) while leading the league in ERA (1.95). By the low standards of the modern game, he was the closest thing to a workhorse ace.

Here’s a look at his full stat line:

Every time Schlittler stepped onto the mound this season, he gave the Yankees a great chance to win a ballgame. Per ESPN, he allowed one or fewer earned runs in 24 starts this season, tied for the second-most in a season in the last 100 years, trailing only Sandy Koufax in 1963.

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When factoring in his age, only Pedro Martinez‘s 1997 season could match up to Schlittler’s by most standards:

Schlittler should be either a unanimous AL Cy Young award winner, or come close to such. The real question will be whether the AL MVP voters think his 33 dominant starts were more valuable to the Yankees than Alvarez’s slugging all year for the Astros.

MORE: Complete MLB playoff schedule for 2026 postseason

Yordan Alvarez vs. Cam Schlittler: Who’s better?

It would be a surprise if Schlittler winds up leading AL MVP voting — all indications throughout 2026 were that Alvarez would win his first. But that doesn’t mean it’s not feasible, at the very least, that a group of voters are swayed more by dominant pitching than slugging, not quite ready to name the first non-Ohtani DH to win an MVP award.

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It’s a difficult race to determine considering there are no position players involved, assuming Caminero doesn’t surprisingly win. There aren’t any raw numbers to use to compare Schlittler and Alvarez; essentially, the question is whether Schlittler’s 33 starts were more valuable than Alvarez’s 692 plate appearances.

Because WAR is the one stat that accounts for position and can be used to compare pitchers and hitters’ value, it’s a significant data point in the AL MVP race. Here’s how Fangraphs, Baseball Reference and Baseball Prospectus compared Alvarez and Schlittler in WAR this season:

FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus’ version of WAR both rate Alvarez as the more valuable player, while Schlittler had a narrow lead in Baseball Reference’s version.

Those numbers seem to reflect the sentiment around MLB on the AL MVP race. Prior to the final week of the regular season, MLB.com’s MVP poll had Alvarez as the leader with 29 of 38 first-place votes, while Schlittler had one, trailing Caminero (7) and Witt (1).

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As offensive numbers have fallen in MLB, seasons like Alvarez’s in 2026 have become more of outliers. It will likely be enough for him to take home the AL MVP, making history for designated hitters.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com