Here’s a fun baseball hypothetical: If you were an MLB general manager and building your team from scratch right now, which player would you take first? Los Angeles Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani or New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge?
Why are these two players the only choices?
Both are possibly the best players of their generation and on pace to be first-ballot Hall of Famers. Since we’re all about reporting the facts here at SAN, I’m just going to lay out the numbers and let the debate begin.
No one would argue that Judge has played the first 42 games of the season like he hails from another planet. He leads the majors in nearly every hitting category. He has single-handedly carried an injury-riddled Yankee roster to first place in the American League East. Judge told reporters Sunday, May 11, after four hits in a win over the Athletics, that he models his game after greats Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera.
“The two best, I feel like, right-handed hitters I’ve ever seen,” Judge said. “So, just trying to follow their lead and wherever I’m at in the lineup, I got to do my job. I’m hitting third, I got to drive guys in. Hitting second, I get on base and do what I need to do for the team.”
Before an April 29 game against the Baltimore Orioles, Yankees manager Aaron Boone drew chuckles in the dugout from reporters, even though he was being serious about how good Judge can be.
“I’m not being cute or funny, I don’t think he’s really been that hot yet,” Boone said. “Honestly, he’s getting his hits, and I think it’s a credit to just how great he is, but when he gets really going and starts hitting balls in the seats routinely, buckle up.”
What’s the case for Shohei Ohtani?
Ohtani is not having quite the same start to his season, but the Dodgers are also in first place due in large part to his presence. Take, for instance, the three-run homer he hit in the ninth inning recently to complete a 14-11 comeback against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ohtani, being the first player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season, has manager Dave Roberts constantly shaking his head in awe.
“Between him and Barry Bonds, that’s the two best players I’ve ever seen,” Roberts said. “I played with Barry, but what Sho does in the clutch –– I’ve never seen anything like what he does in the clutch.”
After the win against the Diamondbacks Friday, May 9, third baseman Max Muncy was asked if the team is already planning the party when Ohtani’s name is announced in situations like that.
“Yeah,” Muncy said. “You guys have heard me say how many times? Sho keeps getting put in these spots that you expect the incredible, and he rarely disappoints, and that was no different there.”
How do their season statistics compare?
The 2025 numbers so far give the edge to Judge, not only over Ohtani but the entire league. His .410 average, 14 home runs, 40 RBIs and an OPS of 1.267 lead the majors.
Ohtani is hitting .302 with 12 homers and 21 RBIs with an OPS of 1.035. He’s also an All-Star pitcher working his way back from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
And one more thing in Ohtani’s favor: He has a World Series ring, which he won in October 2024, beating the Yankees and Aaron Judge.
The reigning MVPs in their respective leagues will once again be All-Stars. Ohtani for the fifth time, Judge for the seventh. Are they on another World Series collision course? It’s too early in the season to say, but if they remain healthy, the debate will continue to rage on.
contributed to this report.
