Shohei Ohtani’s stardom has superseded Aaron Judge’s

Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge have been directly compared through most of the regular season, and now Ohtani is standing out once again.

Los Angeles Angels ace Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge went head-to-head during the regular season over who should win AL MVP.

As it turns out, Ohtani just broke a record of Judge’s, making himself even more deserving to claim the title for a second consecutive title.

Though Ohtani’s new record isn’t directly based off his performance, it’s still telling of just how marketable of a player he is. He’s certainly influential and unique in the fact that he can pitch and hit extremely well, so it’s unsurprising that he got so many notable endorsements.

Judge will likely win AL MVP, setting a new single-season home run record for the AL after 61 years and leading the league in several hitting stats.

Both would be deserving of the award with some of the best achievements of the season.

Yankees Aaron Judge and Angels Shohei Ohtani battle for AL MVP

Judge had one of the most historic seasons in history. He broke a 61-year-old record by hitting 62 home runs in the regular season, helping keep the Yankees atop of the AL East. He also led the league in runs (133), home runs (62), RBIs (131), total bases (391), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111) and WAR (10.6).

Ohtani didn’t quite have as historic of a season, but he had the best season on the mound of his career. He produced an ERA of 2.33, batting average against of .203 and WHIP of 1.01. His offensive numbers were extremely good too, slashing .273/.356/.519 for an OPS of .875. His bat was better last season at .257/.372/.592 for an OPS of .964, but he’s still deserving of another AL MVP for what he’s accomplished. Unfortunately, he’ll likely fall short.

The two players, regardless of what they accomplish, have a lot to be proud of.