Shohei Ohtani Over Aaron Judge? ESPN’s Ranking Sparks Another Comparison Between Baseball’s Premier Athletes

The Japanese baseball sensation or the American heartthrob – who had the last laugh? Well, Shohei Ohtani seems to have hit a metaphorical homer against Aaron Judge in the ESPN rankings. The LA Dodgers player has ranked above the New York Yankees captain, thus adding fire to a debate that has consumed MLB fans in recent years. While some claim Ohtani deserves every inch of the elite status that he currently enjoys, other feels he can never match the statistics of Aaron Judge, the face of baseball in the USA.

2017 saw the rise of a mighty young player as Aaron Judge clinched the title of the AL Rookie of the Year. Just a year later, it was Shohei Ohtani who got the award for his brilliant debut season with the Los Angeles Angels. Thus, the two generational talents have been going at the same achievements even before the world could recognize their outstanding performances. And now, the two have gone head to head in ESPN’s rankings as Shohei got the upper hand in the duel.

It has only been 7 months since Shohei Ohtani started his tenure at the Los Angeles Dodgers following a $700 million transfer. In this short time, the two-way talent has already turned heads with his brilliant performance (last Sunday, he hit a perfect moonshot against the Boston Red Sox). Meanwhile, Aaron Judge ran into some trouble recently as he faced his career-first ejection at the Yankees Stadium in a game against the Detroit Tigers. So, fortune seems to be favoring Ohtani right now.

Thus, ESPN placing Shohtani above Judge is the latest development in the debate on the abilities of the two pros. As the sports news outlet has given the #14 spot to the Japanese, it is like a new feather in his cap of never-ending achievements. And 7 places below him, there is Aaron Judge on the list. Of course, the top of the same list boasts names like 11-time All-Stars Albert Pujols and Mike Trout. Now, do you know Shohtani has accepted he is a fan of the top two names himself as he has collected their bobblehead statues?

Shohei Ohtani has paid homage to MLB’s greatest players in an unusual way

He might be the biggest name in MLB right now, but Shohei Ohtani has had some great heroes in the sport while growing up. And he has made sure to always have those heroes by his side–are you wondering how? Well, the 6’4″ tall athlete likes to buy toys to add to his collection. According to the Dodgers reporter Kirsten Watson, Shohei Ohtani has his own set of bobbleheads which includes an Albert Pujols figure as well as a Mike Trout one.

While Ohtani stars in the same list of ESPN’s all-time top MLB players as Pujols and Trout, the Japanese idolizes them. Watson talked about how Ohtani has bobbleheads of those two legends but not his own. She said, “When I asked him [Shohei Ohtani] if he displayed the bobbleheads, he said he always sends them home [Japan]. He only keeps a few of them and keeps them on display. He has Albert Pujols and he also has a Mike Trout one, not his own.”

As of now, Shohei Ohtani has done justice to his 10-year contract with the LA Dodgers being second in the league in home runs. Judge is probably faring even better than Shotime, since he is leading the league table for scoring 34 home runs! Which one of these two legends-in-the-making do you think might snatch the MVP title of this season? Share your views in the comments below.