JUST IN: Shohei Ohtani has more impressive 2024 MLB season than Aaron Judge, read more……

First off, I’m just glad they are in different leagues so both can win MVP and we don’t have to have a seemingly never-ending debate.

I’ll go with Judge. He has a decent lead in average, OBP and slugging percentage along with more homers and RBI. He’s done all this while playing a

‌ physically demanding center field instead of serving as the full-time DH. I do think we can give Ohtani a little concession for rehabbing his elbow during the course of the season, but that isn’t actually on-field work. What we’re left with on the field is Judge being superior in most categories, close to even in others and trailing significantly in stolen bases. Is the gap in steals enough to make up for everything else, including a DH vs. a CF? Not for me. It’s close, though, and I realize that the unique 50-50 season carries a lot of weight with a lot of people.

Dayn Perry: If Ohtani were pitching this season and not recovering from Tommy John, he’d be the answer here. He deserves the NL MVP award, but Judge for me is clearly the more valuable player in 2024. As I write this, he’s got a 35-point advantage in OPS+ and a big edge in OBP. Ohtani’s base-stealing is an impressive accomplishment, but it’s not enough to overcome Judge’s offensive advantages elsewhere. Also, as Snyder said, there’s a big difference between producing as a DH and producing as a primary center fielder, which is what Judge is. Easy call for me.