Both Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will end up in Cooperstown one day. Each superstar possesses a singular ability to carry their respective teams for long stretches of time. It almost seems cruel to engage in a debate as to which of MLB's brightest luminaries deserves to be called the superior player.
Passionate fans of the Yankees on social media are choosing not to show any restraint. They are taking to X and other platforms in droves to declare Judge as the better player of the pair. Fans of the Bronx Bombers have one simple argument to make that 2025 is the season where Judge has eclipsed Ohtani.
Previously, Ohtani's biggest leg up in the battle with Judge is that he also helped boost his team by being a dominant starting pitcher. He's yet to return to the mound since suffering a torn labrum in November of last year. Predictably, the Dodgers are being uber cautious with putting their biggest star back into their starting rotation.
That makes the battle between Judge and Ohtani a fair fight. The two can be reasonably compared based on the offensive production they provide their teams. Both are sluggers who can strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. Each is surrounded by quality production from the players who bat near them but the Dodgers do have an advantage in that department.
Until Ohtani can demonstrate he can pitch, there’s zero doubt who is the best player in MLB. https://t.co/PSl7LX1zOG
— Rick (@Rick12_85) May 12, 2025
Aaron Judge may have passed Shohei Ohtani as the best player in baseball
It's hard to form a cogent argument that Judge hasn't been the better player this season. He holds a significant advantage over Ohtani in almost every offensive category. Ohtani is still playing at a borderline MVP level, but Judge is enjoying a potentially historic season. 40 games is not a large enough sample size to draw lasting conclusions, but it's clear Judge is enjoying a white-hot start to his 2025 regular season.
Judge's WAR of 3.4 gives him an advantage of over a full win against Ohtani's mark of 2.1. The Yankee slugger has an advantage of over 100 points when it comes to batting average. That's previously been an argument against his superiority but hitting .409 through 154 at-bats illustrates just how much Judge has improved his contact skills.
The home run comparison between the two players is pretty small. Judge has left the yard 14 times, while Ohtani has slugged 12 home runs. Judge's slugging percentage of .779 drastically outpaces Ohtani. The Japanese sensation sports a respectable number of .641, but he isn't showing the complete power that Judge exudes on the season.
One counterargument to Judge being the better player is Ohtani's advantage in terms of speed. He's swiped 10 bags on the season, while Judge only has three stolen bases. Power is more important than speed for each player, but Ohtani clearly puts more pressure on opponents with his willingness to run.
The obvious caveat here is that Ohtani will almost certainly return to the mound at some point this season. That's what makes him a true unicorn in the modern game. The Dodgers might try to limit his workload down the stretch but failing to give him a chance to pitch would be a major disappointment. He has true ace stuff when he's at his best, and that could be a trump card for Los Angeles in the postseason.
The Yankees will be happy if Judge simply maintains the stellar offensive production he's put forth to date. The biggest difference between his play this year and in previous seasons is that he's found a way to make more contact at the plate. The offspeed stuff that plagued him early in his career has become less effective as Judge has become more selective. Staying within the strike zone has done wonders to improve his average and power numbers.
The odds do favor Judge's play coming back to Earth. He could take a meaningful step back as the season progresses, and he would still be a comfortable AL MVP candidate. That's just how good Judge is. Yankee fans should be enjoying his historic play while he remains in his prime.
The same can be said for Dodgers fans who get the opportunity to watch Ohtani on a regular basis. He's a special slugger, even if he's playing second fiddle to Judge at the moment. There's no shame in him being the second-best player in baseball behind a slugger enjoying a truly historic season.
The debate of Judge vs. Ohtani will rage on social media for years to come. The Yankees slugger has the edge at the moment, but there are plenty of twists and turns ahead for both sluggers throughout the next several years. Neither team will want to part with their favorite player of the two. Each will be more than happy to base their lineup around them for the remainder of their athletic prime.