"How does that make him MVP over Aaron Judge" - New york Yankees play-by-play announcer believes slugger Aaron Judge deserves MVP over Shohei Ohtani
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has had a monstrous season this year. After turning down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract, Aaron Judge decided to "bet on himself" this year, and it's paying off. He is having a career year during a contract year.
Judge has blasted 50 home runs, 110 RBIs, and has a 1.057 on-base plus slugging percentage. He is leading all of MLB in those three statistics. He has 14 more home runs than Kyle Schwarber, who is second in the league with 36 home runs. That is quite the gap from first to second place.
With 50 home runs, Aaron Judge is closing in on the New York Yankees' single-season home run record. Roger Maris holds the record, who broke it in 1961 when he hit 61 home runs. With a historic season on the brink for Judge, people believe it is a no-brainer for Judge to win MVP.
"I understand the thought process that Ohtani does two jobs extraordinarily well, but how does that make him an MVP over @The Judge44 when Judge, doing just ONE job, has a higher WAR?" - Michael Kay
The MVP race seems to be coming down between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani has impressed everyone since his debut in the league in 2018. Ohtani, being a superb two-way player, has often been compared to Babe Ruth. There is no doubt that Ohtani is a unicorn within baseball.
Shohei has 29 home runs for the year, ranking him ninth in the league. He has 79 RBIs this year, which ranks him 16th. He has an OPS of .882, ranking him ninth among MLB hitters.
You can't overlook the importance of Ohtani being able to pitch as well. He has an 11-8 record with 176 strikeouts. He ranks eighth among all pitchers in strikeouts. Ohtani both hits and pitches extremely well.
Aaron Judge has The New York Yankees looking like a serious World Series contender this year
There's no denying how good Ohtani is, but the Angels are fourth in the AL West with a 56-73 record. Ohtani will probably miss the playoffs this year. With no fault of his own, that has to hurt some of his chances of winning the MVP.
The Yankees are 78-51 and sit in first place in the American League East. They hold an eight-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays and will almost certainly be in the playoffs.
Aaron Judge is a big reason as to why the New York Yankees are a legitimate World Series contender this year. With that being said, many around the league believe Judge should win the MVP award.