Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are undoubtedly two icons in modern day baseball generation. With exceptional talent and insane hitting power, both the sluggers have been phenomenal this season for their respective teams, the Yankees and the Dodgers in respective leagues, the AL and the NL.
Shohei Ohtani, representing the LA Dodgers in the National League (NL) following his team’s league switch, and Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ star slugger in the American League (AL), have both made compelling cases to take home the prestigious honours by the end of the year as odds heavily favour the duo.
Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani Leads MVP Odds!
Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge continue to be the leading contenders for the 2024 MVP awards in their respective leagues, with their exceptional performances throughout the season keeping them at the forefront of the discussion. Ohtani remains a hot favourite for the NL MVP award. Despite being barred from pitching due to Tommy John surgery, Ohtani continues to set the bar high in the offence. He is hitting .291 batting average, 46 homers and 101 RBIs. The two-way sensation became the third-fastest player in MLB history to enter the 30/30 club. And on September 8, he scored his career-high 46th home run. In a recent Fox Sports report, Ohtani’s odds of winning the NL MVP moved to -900 from -2000, thus making him a leading favourite.
On the other hand, Aaron Judge remains a leading candidate for the AL MVP award after another remarkable season with the New York Yankees. He is leading MLB in home runs (51) and RBIs (125). This season, he achieved the milestone of being the fastest slugger to unlock 300 career home runs and also became the first slugger to clock 50 season home runs. He is on pace to hit 60 home runs and become the only third player in MLB to achieve 60+ homers in multiple seasons. Not only that, his contributions have been pivotal in keeping the New York Yankees competitive. Judge’s immense presence on the field and his ability to deliver in crucial moments have cemented his status as a favourite for the AL MVP award. As per Fox Sports, Judge’s odds of winning MVP this year stand at -3000.
Judge To Face Competition In AL-MVP Race?
Popular MLB analyst Jeff Passan believes Kanas City Royals 24-year-old shortstop Bobby Witt Jr is likely to pose steep competition to Aaron Judge in the AL-MVP race. He referred to Booby as a complete package, and to do that at a young age is phenomenal. “Bobby Witt is doing this at 24 years old uh he’s got a ceiling unlike anybody in baseball right now,” Passan said.
Jeff Passan also compared Aaron Judge to Bobby Witt Jr. While the analyst believes that Judge’s hitting talent and power is unmatched, Bobby Witt Jr is by far the best all-round player in MLB. His brilliance is getting overshadowed by Judge and Shohei Ohtani’s mega seasons. But Witt is the player to watch out for in near future.
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