New York Yankees superstar outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have thrived off of the healthy competition emanating from their MVP-worthy seasons, but only one of the immense talents can come out on top when the season is all said and done.
Yankees: Aaron Judge is slugging at an MLB-leading pace
Judge has his name all over the MLB leaderboards. The former 2022 American League MVP is out to add his second trophy to his collection and could do so behind his league-leading 42 home runs, 107 RBI, and 1.162 OPS. The Fresno State product has been formidable at the plate, hence why he owns the most walks (98) in the Majors. Strictly from a slugging perspective, he has no peers. However, Soto has a strong claim for the award himself.
Yankees’ Juan Soto is hitting every MVP benchmark in 2024
The Dominican superstar does not lead the big leagues in any one major statistical category, but he is putting together a well-rounded body of work that would warrant the award standing alone. He has 30 home runs, 97 runs (No. 2 overall), and 82 RBIs behind a .303 batting average and has given the Yankees a game-changing franchise pillar that appears ready to help lead them to their first World Series triumph since 2009. Shockingly, Soto has only had seven games where he’s hit under .300. New York has gone 3-4 in those games. Hence, Soto’s impact on the Yankees has been show-worthy.
Judge and Soto are playing at historical paces & leading the Yankees to wins
There are some striking similarities between both of their cases, too. The Yankees (70-49) are 33-10 in games where Judge connected on multiple hits, and 23-12 when Soto has.
The two standout sluggers are also making history this year, or are in the process of doing so. With his two home run performance in New York’s 8-7 victory over the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers on Sunday, Soto reached 190 career home runs, catapulting him over baseball Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr. for most homers prior to turning 26-years-old, per Brady Farkas of Fastball on SI.
Next to him, Judge also belted a long ball into the stands against the Rangers, bringing his career total to 299. He is one home run away from 300 for his career – a milestone that only 161 players have achieved in history, and one he can put under his belt in his next game at 161st Street in the Bronx, NY. on Aug. 18 against the Detroit Tigers, though he’ll most likely do so well before then.
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Judge & Soto are getting recognized for MVP bids as the season nears an end
Per Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the 32-year-old also confessed that he views himself as a wiser and better player in 2024 than he was in his first MVP campaign in 2022:
“The team that we have, we have guys on base 80 percent of the time I come to the plate. So it makes my job a lot easier,” Judge said. “I’m a little older, a little wiser. I’m swinging at better pitches. When you swing at the right pitches, good things happen.”
Judge and Soto have the ingredients for MVP seasons. Team success, efficiency, power, historical achievements, marked improvement year-over-year, and notable praises, including one from Philadelphia Phillies former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins for Soto. Kansas City Royals rising superstar Bobby Witt Jr. is the only other player that could upset the Big Apple cart making space for an MVP trophy, but the American League will likely be represented by one of the two Yankees talents at year’s end.
