Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani named unanimous MVPs after historic seasons

To nobody’s surprise, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were named the AL and NL MVPs Thursday, each receiving all 30 first-place votes.

He may not have broken his single-season home run record he set during his 2022 MVP season, but the New York Yankees captain was once again dominant at the plate to receive his second career nod as the MVP in the American League.

Judge beat out Juan Soto, who he hopes to play with again in 2025 in pinstripes, and Kansas City Royals phenom Bobby Witt Jr., who received all 30 second-place votes.

Judge led the league in homers for the third time in his career, launching 58 long balls while posting league highs in WAR (10.8), RBIs (144), slugging percentage (.701), on-base percentage (.458) and OPS+ (223).

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While Soto’s production helped the Yankees reach the World Series alongside Judge, Witt owned the league’s best batting average at .332, while hitting 32 homers with 109 RBIs. Soto had 41 homers and 109 RBIs.

Judge’s postseason production was much different, but this is a regular-season award.

The slugger had trouble finding a rhythm despite the Yankees reaching the World Series. He slashed .184/.344/.408 with three homers and nine RBIs over 14 games.

Ohtani inked a record-shattering $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason and underwent elbow surgery prior to the start of the 2024 campaign, forcing him off the mound the entire season. At the start of the season, he found himself in a gambling scandal in which millions had been smuggled from him by his interpreter to pay off betting debts. It was eventually determined Ohtani did not know about the gambling, nor did he bet himself.

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Fans wondered if he would be able to have an MVP-type season strictly as a DH. 

The Dodgers superstar became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. The home run ball that made history sold for a record $4.39 million. His 134 runs scored and 411 total bases were the most in the majors, and he led the National League in home runs (54), RBIs (130), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (646) and a 9.2 bWAR. 

His .310 average in the NL was second behind only Luis Arráez’s .314, and his 59 stolen bases trailed only Elly De La Cruz, who swiped five more bags.

Ohtani won the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a member of the crosstown Angels while finishing second to Judge in 2022. The Yankees outfielder hit 62 home runs that season, setting a new American League record. Francisco Lindor and Ketel Marte finished in second and third, respectively.

Ohtani becomes the 12th player to win the MVP Award three times.

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Safe to say the contract is off to a nice start.

Judge and Ohtani faced off in the World Series, and Ohtani came away with his first World Series title. It was the first time two eventual MVPs faced off in a World Series since 2012, when Buster Posey’s Giants defeated Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers.

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