Yankees fans rip Shohei Ohtani as Aaron Judge's early stats reign supreme: "If you can't do both well, why even do it"
Aaron Judge is the reigning MVP in the American League. The year before that it was Shohei Ohtani. The two were engaged in a close battle last season before Judge's historic offensive output sealed the deal. They both figure to be in the conversation once again this year.
Thus far, while Judge might not be the MVP favorite, he figures to be ahead of Ohtani. Ohtani's numbers have dipped on both sides of the ball and he's not producing as well as he did last year. Still, it's hard to count out someone who pitches and hits.
New York Yankees fans, riding the high of their team's success and Judge's red-hot streak, aren't missing the opportunity to troll Ohtani.
OPS under .900 and ERA over 3? Don’t ever mention this man in the same sentence as Aaron Judge ever again https://t.co/SaJ8y7wXxY
@JLasagna43 It’s like dude if you can’t do both well, why even do it. Focus on one. Such a hack.
@JLasagna43 I won’t compare anyone to Judge ever
@JLasagna43 Ohtani is a better pitcher and Judge is a better hitter. And that hurts to say as a Rays fan.
Kinda mid ngl. twitter.com/jlasagna43/sta…
@JLasagna43 I like how the OPS is right under at .899 lol impeccable timing
@JLasagna43 Straight trash
@Chris2dogs @JLasagna43 Ohtani is overrated n no power !!
@JLasagna43 Chris Morel > Ohtani
There were, however, a few fans who jumped to Ohtani's defense:
@JLasagna43 Judge will have to hit 60 again to stay in Ohtani’s atmosphere
@JLasagna43 This is so ridiculous. His OPS is .899, his WHIP is 0.90, his H/9 IP is 4.3, its only May, and Judge doesnt pitch.
What the heck are we talking about here?
@JLasagna43 Ohtani has 41 more PA, two less homers, the exact same amount of RBI and 3 more SB. All while pitching as well. More like don’t mention Judge in the same breath as Shohei.
Naturally, the comparison between these two is all but impossible to make. While Judge has proven to be the better hitter, Ohtani is no slouch at the plate. Since Judge doesn't pitch, the Los Angeles Angels superstar has that advantage over him.
Still, with the Yankees doing well and their captain leading the charge with yet another incredible offensive season, it's hard to fault the fans for having fun while they can.
Ohtani will inevitably get hot and boost his numbers, so these takes (as sarcastic as they may be) will age poorly. One can't fault the fans for poking fun while it's possible, though.
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani expected to be locked in tight battle this season
Aaron Judge won MVP on the back of a historic season with 62 home runs and a wRC+ of over 200. Both of those numbers will go down in the record books. Ohtani, thanks to his pitching and hitting prowess, received two first-place votes last season.
This year, assuming Judge doesn't go on a historic barrage again, fans can expect another tight battle between the two. The stats make it hard to determine who is truly better, especially since one does two things and the other does just one.