Judge vs. Ohtani: MVP question of Ruthian proportions

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Sep. 22—New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and two-way Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani are delivering two of the greatest seasons in Major League Baseball history, performing feats that rank right up there with those of Babe Ruth himself.

Judge is posting power numbers unlike any this generation has ever seen and may become just the second player to win the Triple Crown in more than half a century. Ohtani is a unicorn who has now ascended beyond simply hitting and pitching at a big league level, but ranking among the best in baseball at both.

Any other year the American League MVP would be no debate, but this year voters will have to choose between two seasons of unmatched brilliance.

The case for Judge

What more can be said about Aaron Judge at this point?

Tuesday night Judge hit his 60th home run of the season, becoming the first player in 21 years to reach the mark while joining Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as the only players in American League history to do so. He is on pace to finish with 66 home runs, which would easily surpass Maris' AL record of 61, and in doing so he would also set a new standard among players who haven't been credibly linked to performance-enhancing drugs.

That in and of itself would be a remarkable achievement, but it only scratches the surface of what Judge has accomplished.

Judge got off to a red hot start and has somehow kept getting better as the season's gone along. Through the season's halfway point he was batting .281 with 29 home runs, 60 RBI and a .972 OPS. Since then he's batted .361 with 31 home runs, 68 RBI and a 1.311 OPS in 15 fewer games, and in doing so he's raised his season average all the way to .316, putting him in the AL lead and in position to win both the batting title and the Triple Crown.

His immense production also nearly single-handedly kept the Yankees offense afloat during a devastating run of injuries and has helped put the club in position to win its first World Series title since 2009.

Judge has lapped the field by so much offensively that it defies logic. He has 20 more home runs than the next closest competitor (Kyle Schwarber, 40) and leads baseball in offensive wins above replacement (9.7), on-base percentage (.419), slugging percentage (.703), OPS (1.123), runs scored (123) and total bases (372) by wide margins. He's set to become the sixth position player since 2000 to record 10 WAR in a single season, and when all is said and done Judge's year could go down as one of the greatest offensive seasons by a right-handed hitter in MLB history.

So how could anyone possibly compete with the historic season Judge is having? By turning in an equally astonishing season of their own.

The case for Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani's unprecedented two-way talent may not have the novelty it once did, but the Japanese sensation is still on pace to surpass his historic MVP season from a year ago. ESPN's Jeff Passan laid it out best earlier this month, offering a pair of illuminating comparisons.

First, a look at two position players.

Player A: .270 avg., 34 home runs, 78 RBI, .885 OPS, 12 stolen bases, 4.6 offensive WAR

Player B: .268, 34 home runs, 89 RBI, .891 OPS, 11 stolen bases, 3.6 offensive WAR

Now, two pitchers.

Pitcher A: 12-6, 2.36 ERA, 156.1 innings, 190 strikeouts, 26 starts, 3.9 pitching WAR

Pitcher B: 13-8, 2.43 ERA, 148 innings, 196 strikeouts, 25 starts, 5.3 pitching WAR

Player A in this exercise is Mookie Betts, who is among the favorites to win National League MVP and whose Los Angeles Dodgers are currently on pace to finish with 112 wins. Pitcher A is Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan, who started the All-Star Game for the American League and who will likely finish near the top of the AL Cy Young race.

As you've probably guessed by now, Player B and Pitcher B are both Shohei Ohtani.

The fact that any one player could be a top 10 position player and a top 10 pitcher simultaneously is preposterous. Not even Babe Ruth ever pulled that off, and it's truly an indictment on the Los Angeles Angels that they have a baseball cheat code like Ohtani at their disposal and are still wallowing at the bottom of the standings.

Judge is the favorite to win MVP, and deservedly so, but it speaks to both players' greatness that this is even a conversation.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com.

Twitter: @MacCerullo.