Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are the frontrunners to win the MVP title this year. Judge, in his own charismatic manner, has recorded the most number of home runs with 51 for the Yankees. His heroics have propelled the Yankees to sit pretty at the top of the American League East, with an 82-61 win-loss record. On the contrary, giving him steep competition is the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani.

With an 86-57 win-loss ratio, the Dodgers are ruling the National League West courtesy of Ohtani’s 45 home runs. He has also recorded 46 stolen bases and is aiming to become the very first athlete to make a 50-50 record in MLB history. Well, while the numbers of Ohtani and Judge are looking extremely promising, there is another star emerging to steal the show this season. And according to Jeff Passan, he might probably overturn the tables. 

Jeff Passan hints at a new MLB hero ahead of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge

Jeff Passan recently sat down with Rich Eisen to analyze the ongoing season. Opening up on who the MVP might be, Passan came up with a brand new name, Bobby Witt Jr. While Passan gave both Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge their due credits, Passan stated that Witt Jr. is a complete package. Explaining why he stands in the line of Aaron Judge’s quest for his second MLB MVP, Passan said, “The fact that Bobby Witt is doing this at 24 years old uh he’s got a ceiling unlike anybody in baseball right now and he is so good at hitting and so good at fielding and so good at running he is the complete player in the game.” 

Then, Jeff Passan talked about Aaron Judge, saying that his skills with the bat are much superior. “Judge’s bat takes him above and beyond everyone. He’s that much better a hitter than everyone else but in terms of all-around players, there’s no one like Bobby Witt right now,” Passan said. Comparing Witt Jr. with Shohei Ohtani, the American columnist further mentioned that Witt Jr. has a higher batting average than Ohtani. Witt Jr. is also on level, pegging in terms of base percentage and slugging percentage.

Both players have been averaging in the range of .400-.600, although Ohtani enjoys a heavy advantage. But when it comes to home runs, Witt Jr. has better doubles and triples coupled with an extraordinary level of shortstop prowess. Well, with so much talk about Bobby Witt Jr. going on, it is imperative to take a look at his shining accolades. 

Bobby Witt Jr.’s career at a glance 

Bobby Witt Jr. has been a sensation in the recent MLB season. Representing the Kansas City Royals, Witt Jr. has averaged .336 in the current season. He has also hit an impressive 30 home runs, with 98 RBI and 192 hits. In his recent outing against the Minnesota Twins, Bobby Witt Jr. got an important base hit to help his team beat the Twins 4-2 to clinch the series. 

Speaking about his accolades, Bobby Witt Jr. won the gold medal in the 2018 COPABE U-18 Pan American Championship and a silver medal at the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami. He is also a proud member of the 30-30 club(2023) and became an MLB triples leader in 2023. Adding to his list of accolades, Witt Jr. was inducted into the All-Star team for his immaculate performance in the present season.

Creating a name for himself, Bobby Witt Jr. idolizes his father, Bobby Witt Sr., who was also a professional baseball player. Winning an Olympic silver medal back in 1984, Witt Sr. established himself as a renowned professional by winning the 2001 World Series. Speaking about his father on The Rich Eisen Show recently, Witt Jr. said, “I always wanted to follow in his footsteps in a way, but I’m a position player and he was a pitcher, so that’s how I kind of started my own little legacy.” Thus, trying to honor his father with his work, it will be interesting to see whether Bobby Witt Jr. manages to win the MVP or not.

Thus, with the speculations going strong, it will be interesting to see whether Bobby Witt Jr. manages to secure the MVP title. Who do you think will win this year? Let us know below.