Royals catcher Salvador Pérez finished seventh in American League MVP voting, behind unanimous selection Shohei Ohtani of the Angels. Salvy tied for the league lead in home runs (48) and led the league in RBI (121) but finished far behind in more advanced hitting metrics due to his .316 on-base percentage. Salvy was 22nd in wRC+ at 127 and was tenth in bWAR among position players with 5.3.
Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. finished second, appearing #2 on every single ballot except for Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star, who voted for Salvy. Marcus Semien of the Blue Jays finished third, followed by Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, and Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez.