Oct 5, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics
The Yankees’ Aaron Judge—the hitter of 62 homers in a season—powered his way to earn last year’s AL MVP trophy on the back of that unprecedented achievement.
In the process, he denied 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels a repeat win; according to Phil Nevin, the manager of the Angels, his star didn’t take that fact lightly.
“He (Ohtani) wasn’t happy about not winning the MVP, I can tell you that,” Nevin stated on an MLB Network radio appearance. “But he wants to win, first and foremost.”
When comparing how the two men performed last season, the numbers seem to favor the Bronx Bomber. Aside from the 62 home runs, Judge led baseball in OPS, OPS+, total bases, slugging percentage, OBP, runs scored, and RBI. His WAR (wins above replacement) also led baseball at an impressive 10.6, with Ohtani in second at 9.6. One could argue that difference falls within the margin of error, but in any case, #99 paced the majors in a plethora of statistical categories.
Perhaps what has Ohtani most irked is the vote count: Judge got 28 out of 30 first-place votes, with his total vote count of 410 smashing Ohtani’s of 280.
In any case, 2023 is a new year, and the Angels’ superstar is by no means a non-factor in the AL MVP fold.
