"I think if they give it to Shohei Ohtani it will be another steal" - Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shares his thoughts on intense MVP race between Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge 

With the regular season drawing to a close, the race for the MVP award has started to heat up. The race is ultimately going to come down to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani won the award last year with his ability to both pitch and hit at an elite level.

The MVP race was between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ohtani last season. Ohtani won the award unanimously even though Guerroro Jr. had an exceptional season. He led the league in runs and tied for first in home runs at 48. But that wasn't enough to secure him the MVP.

Having lost out to Ohtani last year, Guerrero Jr. didn't hold back when discussing the MVP race this year.

Héctor Gómez

@hgomez27

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the 2022 AL MVP: "To be honest, I think if they give it to Shohei Ohtani it will be another steal. Aaron Judge's numbers are way above Ohtani's. Ohtani is an excellent player, but for me, the MVP has to be Aaron Judge."

@z101digital @ZDeportes

1028

134

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the 2022 AL MVP: "To be honest, I think if they give it to Shohei Ohtani it will be another steal. Aaron Judge's numbers are way above Ohtani's. Ohtani is an excellent player, but for me, the MVP has to be Aaron Judge."

@z101digital @ZDeportes https://t.co/nT59bSTJcZ

"To be honest, I think if they give it to Shohei Ohtani it will be another steal. Aaron Judge's numbers are way above Ohtani's. Ohtani is an excellent player, but for me, the MVP has to be Aaron Judge," he said.

Those are some pretty strong words from the former MVP runner-up, but he's not wrong. Shohei Ohtani is an incredible baseball player, one of the best in the league. His ability to both hit and pitch makes him a unicorn within the game and he's extremely valuable.

As a pitcher, Ohtani holds a 12-8 record that ties him for 17th across the league. He has hit .265 for the year with 34 home runs. Ohtani is tied for seventh in home runs with Mookie Betts.

Ohtani is having a great season, but it is nothing like the season Judge is having. He holds a huge lead in the rest of the league in home runs at 57. The closest player to Judge is Kyle Schwarber, who has 37 home runs for the year.

ESPN Stats & Info

@ESPNStatsInfo

Aaron Judge (57 HR) now has 20 more homers than anyone else in MLB (Kyle Schwarber, 37).

It's the first time a player will finish a calendar day with a 20+ HR lead since the last day of the 1928 season when Babe Ruth led Jim Bottomley and Hack Wilson by 23 homers.
@EliasSports

4538

1009

Aaron Judge (57 HR) now has 20 more homers than anyone else in MLB (Kyle Schwarber, 37).

It's the first time a player will finish a calendar day with a 20+ HR lead since the last day of the 1928 season when Babe Ruth led Jim Bottomley and Hack Wilson by 23 homers.
@EliasSports https://t.co/ByaoiWDjdw

​

Aaron Judge's offensive dominance tips the scales in his favor

Judge leads the league in most offensive categories: WAR, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, total bases, RBIs, and extra base hits.

Judge also plays for the first-place New York Yankees. He could be competing for a World Series title while Ohtani will have to watch postseason baseball again this year.

​