There are a few things in baseball that go without saying, such as hot dogs at the ballpark, bad umpire calls, and Aaron Judge being renowned as one of the game’s best. Being a home run machine and the Yankees captain, he’s the kind of player you see at the top of every ranking. But this time? Things were different.

A player survey from spring training 2025 ranked the top players in Major League Baseball. Unsurprisingly, Shohei Ohtani took the number one spot. He’s naturally a once-in-a-lifetime talent, an MVP winner, and a living spectacle. But here’s the twist—Judge didn’t even secure the second place. That position was secured by Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

That makes sense, as Witt Jr. is a rising star. His 2024 season was phenomenal. He made his first All-Star appearance, hit .332, and ranked third in the league with 11 triples. The Royals made him a $288 million contract, but does one groundbreaking year really put him ahead of Aaron Judge? That’s exactly where things got twisted.

Aaron Judge has been a dominant force for years now, yet he secured the number 3 spot. He is arguably one of the most feared hitters in the league. Pitchers have to game-plan for a guy like him, and all the fans expect him to deliver in big moments. Witnessing him drop below a younger player, keeping in mind that Jr. is still proving himself, this ranking didn’t sit well with the fans.

Then come Mookie Betts and Corey Seager, who round out the top five. This ranking sparked a considerable buzz, and the Yankees fans voiced their reactions loud and clear to make sure the entire baseball world could hear.

MLB fans are enraged as Aaron Judge ranks below Bobby Witt Jr.

When the results of “Who is the best player in the game?” were out, MLB fans didn’t hold back at all; they exploded. Witnessing Aaron Judge rank below Bobby Witt Jr. was downright infuriating for many fans. Even the ones, who don’t actively follow the sport, questioned how a two-time MVP ended up behind a rising star with just one standout season.

Aaron Judge has been a dominant force for years now, yet he secured the number 3 position. Judge, a two-time MVP, led the league with 62 home runs in 2022, breaking the AL single-season record. Even in an injury-shortened 2023 season, he still hit 37 home runs with a 1.019 OPS.

Moving on, Ohtani’s unique two-way superpower is justified, but Witt Jr.? The fans certainly don’t think so. Shohei Ohtani, the top-ranked player, recorded a .310 batting average, 54 home runs, and 130 RBIs in 2024. Bobby Witt Jr., meanwhile, hit .332 in 2024 with 30 home runs, and 49 stolen bases.

For some, there was no debate around this: “Witt Jr. is not better than Aaron Judge lol.” Judge’s experience and dominance at the plate made this ranking laughable.

Could it be true? Many fans certainly believed that MLB was stirring up controversy on purpose. Some even stated Judge’s accolades to make their point, “Two-time MVP in third place, y’all are a joke.” Dropping him to third place doesn’t add up. After all, we can’t forget how historic Judge’s 2022 MVP season was with 131 RBIs and a 10.6 WAR. The disbelief continued, “Bobby Witt above Judge lol in what universe?” Sure, this ranking was from some parallel universe.

Imagine, even Witt Jr.’s supporters had second thoughts, “I’m a big Bobby Witt Jr. defender, but at this moment, what does he do that makes him a better overall player than Judge?” While Witt Jr. had an impressive 2024 season, Judge still led in key offensive categories like OPS, slugging, and hard-hit percentage.

Well, the debate is still raging. It’s hard to say if the results of this survey were a recency bias, or if baseball really is witnessing a real power shift. We’ll know more in time. Meanwhile, the Yankees fans aren’t forgetting this ranking anytime soon. Let’s just see this as an extra motivation for the 32-year-old in 2025.