The debate has already begun, and already gotten heated, and will continue to bubble over the next two weeks: should Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani be the American League MVP?
To some, what Ohtani is doing is unprecedented. Many teams would love to have a DH slashing .266/.357/.534 with 34 home runs, 89 RBI, 11 steals, 71 walks, and 82 runs scored in 600 plate appearances, and likewise, many would love a starter with a 2.43 ERA and 196 K in 148 innings over 25 starts.
The Angels have both in just Ohtani, even if there are others who wonder how any player can be “Most Valuable” on a team that, on Sept. 19, is guaranteed a losing season (the Halos are 64-82) and will be eliminated from playoff contention with their next loss or the Mariners’ next win.
But Judge? He’s not only chasing Yankees and AL home run history, he’s one batting average point shy of being in position to win a Triple Crown, which would be just the 13th in MLB history and third in Yankees history behind The Mick in 1956 and The Iron Horse in 1934.
And to Anthony Rizzo, who is fifth in the AL in home runs (with 31, just over half of Judge’s total), there’s no contest.
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“I understand there’s going to be a storyline over the next two weeks on who deserves the MVP, but this is something that hasn’t been done in this era: someone chasing 61, clean like this with no question marks,” Rizzo said Sunday after the Yankees’ win in Milwaukee. “It’s really impressive and fun. I know there’s a debate about Ohtani and whatnot, but Judge is having a special season. It’s his year.”
Ohtani’s two-way skills aside, what makes Judge special is that he’s chasing history on two fronts, and while yes, the Yankees have the second-best record in the AL, anyone who has watched knows Judge has been the entire offense at some points – like the recent Tampa Bay series, where he scored every run the Yankees plated over three games.
And he’s doing it all while constantly, in his own fashion, deflecting any question about personal accomplishments or milestones.
“Honestly, it’s normal. Every day you watch his at-bats, and you’d never know that he’s one home run away from 60,” Rizzo said of Judge. “Credit to him in his preparation and demeanor on and off the field – he’s the total package.”
Ohtani won the MVP last year, and while he will finish with much better numbers on the mound (in only about five more starts), he will need a nice surge over the final 2 ½ weeks to reach the 46 homers he hit last year, and maybe the 100 RBI, too.
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Judge, meanwhile, is lapping Ohtani in almost every offensive stat, including batting average, where his .316 isn’t just Triple Crown contender-level, it’s 50 points ahead of Ohtani, who is strictly a DH on offense.
“He’s really just an amazing hitter,” Rizzo said of Judge. “The numbers (Miguel Cabrera) put up (in his 2012 Triple Crown season) were astronomical, and Aaron’s blowing that away right now.”
In reality, the argument isn’t going to come down to being “for Judge,” as he’s going to finish no worse than second – it’s really going to be either for Ohtani or against Ohtani, depending on how you feel about the two-way prowess.
In one vein, the two-way deal is impressive. In another, it’s unfair to compare straight one-way players to it. And in a third vein, as Branch Rickey famously said when he traded Ralph Kiner from the Pirates to the Cubs, “we finished last with you, we can finish last without you,” which the Yankees might not be able to say the opposite if Judge wasn’t here.
We’ll leave the final word to Rizzo about that, talking on Judge’s season:
“We haven’t seen it in the game in a long time, and for him to do it in this era of baseball is incredible.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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