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MVP Debate Heats Up As Shohei Ohtani Surpasses Aaron Judge In The Home Run Tally

Akshita Patel
Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani

Credit: AP

Two-way player of the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani, has ruled the MVP voting for several years until 2022. His biggest competitor, the New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, swooped away the AL-MVP title in 2022 owing to a remarkable offensive season. Ohtani lost the race despite leading in the voting procedure.

Meanwhile, as the 2023 season progresses, the MVP debate has once again gained momentum. This year, Aaron Judge is having a great season. However, frequent injuries continue to hinder his growth. On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani went through an offensive slump for most part of the season. It’s just recently that he was able to garner some runs. Meanwhile, the early voting results are out, and read on to know who is leading the charts.

   

Shohei Ohtani Leads MVP Charts With Late Resurgence As Aaron Judge Continues To Reel Under Injuries

American League All-Stars Aaron Judge, of the New York Yankees, right, and Shohei Ohtani, of the Los Angeles Angels, line up before the MLB All-Star Game against the National League All-Stars at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles July 19, 2022. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Aaron Judge, a potent power hitter for the New York Yankees, is having a remarkable season this year. Despite missing some games due to injury, the batter’s offensive numbers are up the roof. He had hit .291 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs before injury struck again. Judge sustained a toe injury and has been on IL since June 8, that too, without a return timeline. Hence, he is likely to miss the rest of the month’s action. In the meantime, his competitor, Shohei Ohtani, is taking advantage of Judge’s absence.

After a horrible start, Ohtani has picked up pace on the offensive front. He recently surpassed Aaron Judge’s 2023 season home run tally by hitting the 20th homer. Not only that, as per early AL MVP voting results, the two-way player is leading the charts with 23 votes, whereas Judge is still at 12 votes. The rest in the race are Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays, Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers, and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays. However, ultimately, it will come down to Ohtani and Judge. For what it’s worth, the season is still long, which allows the Yankees captain enough time to bounce back.

Fans Troll Judge After Ohtani Takes Lead In AL Home Run Tally

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Up until last week, Yankees captain Aaron Judge had taken over the American League by storm after hitting 19 home runs to lead the tally. However, shortly after, the batter fell prey to injuries. On the other hand, Angels star two-way player Shohei Ohtani took the opportunity to take over the lead by hitting the 20th homer to surpass Judge.

Meanwhile, the Ohtani fans have thronged Twitter to mock and poke fun at Yankees captain Aaron Judge. The rivalry between Judge and Ohtani brewed when the Yankees batter beat Ohtani to grab the AL-MVP in 2022. Since then, the fans have been at crossroads as Angels fans did not approve of it. Overall, the rivalry to grab the MVP will continue and is likely to go on down to the wire.

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