MLB Twitter reacts to Aaron Judge being named AP Athlete of the Year over Shohei Ohtani and Steph Curry: “Steph got robbed”, “Shohei should’ve won”
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year on Friday. Judge's selection set off a firestorm of debate on Twitter, with many sports fans saying the AP got it wrong.
Judge, who set a new American League record for home runs with 62 round-trippers in 2022, most notably beat out Los Angeles Angels pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry of the NBA.
Aaron Judge has been named the AP Male Athlete of the Year, beating out Shohei Ohtani and Stephen Curry ⭐️ https://t.co/fztxeRrNOU
Many fans applauded the selection of Aaron Judge, whose chase of the AL single-season home run record made for a captivating story all season long. Judge was named the AL MVP for his 62 homers that set a new league mark, beating out Yankees alumni Roger Maris' 61 in 1961 and Babe Ruth's 60 in 1927. San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds owns the all-time MLB record with 73 in 2001.
What a year this Judge is having. Bravo Captain Bravo twitter.com/bleacherreport…
Best player in sports twitter.com/BleacherReport…
As he should twitter.com/BleacherReport…
Despite Aaron Judge's homer heroics, many fans felt that the best baseball player remains Ohtani, the Angels' pitching/hitting phenomenon. Ohtani turned in another amazing season at the plate and on the mound in Los Angeles. He led the Angels' pitching staff with a 15-9 record, 2.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 219 strikeouts. He was also splendid as a batter, hitting .273 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs. He sported a WAR of 9.6.
Shohei should've won twitter.com/BleacherReport…
Shohei was a top 5 HITTER AND PITCHER! He was BETTER this year than his MVP year. 62 is cool but it’s not 74… Shohei got robbed twitter.com/bleacherreport…
This here's some booooolshiiiit, @AP. Judge doesn't pitch AND hit for power like Ohtani. He doesn't do half of what Shohei does.
East coast bias in full effect... twitter.com/BleacherReport… https://t.co/DvRgUfkilD
Crying out from the basketball fanbases of the world were fans who felt the AP POY should not come from the diamond, but the hardcourt. These fans say that Curry should have been the pick as the best male athlete of 2022.
While correctly pointing out that the Warriors point guard was amazing in leading Golden State to the NBA title, Curry was not recognized as the best player in the league. That honor of NBA MVP went to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic for a second-straight season in 2021-22, and is the leading contender to win the honor again in 2022-23.
Love Judge but Stephen Curry not winning is disgraceful. Look at what he accomplished on the court alone last season:
- NBA Champion
- Finals MVP
- WCF MVP
- All-Star MVP
- Broke NBA 3-pt record
How that isn't more than enough merit for Male Athlete of the Year I don't get smh twitter.com/BleacherReport…
Steph got robbed twitter.com/bleacherreport…
Over Steph who led his team to a championship?! twitter.com/bleacherreport…
Of course, the debate over who should have won Male Athlete of the Year has largely avoided the most popular sport on the planet: soccer/football. Some fans noted that Argentinian megastar Lionel Messi should have won the award for leading his team to the World Cup championship this December.
Should’ve been Messi twitter.com/bleacherreport…
Aaron Judge more than a hallowed record-breaker
Aaron Judge not only broke the home run record, he very nearly won the AL Triple Crown. Along with his 62 homers, he logged 131 RBIs. His .311 batting average was a narrow second-best to Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez, who led the AL with a .316 average.