Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Runs Into Familiar Aaron Judge Problem In MVP Power Rankings

Bobby Witt Jr. had one of the greatest seasons ever by a shortstop in 2024. And there was one big reason he didn't win Most Valuable Player.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had an otherworldly season in 2024, easily beating out the Kansas City Royals' shortstop for his second career MVP award. And unfortunately, though Witt is off to a terrific start again in 2025, the gap has grown even wider.

What Judge is doing so far in 2025 defies logic. He's batting .414 through the Yankees' first 41 games, while putting up a ridiculous 1.283 OPS, which would top his career best for a full season by 144 points.

Witt, meanwhile, is second behind Judge on the American League WAR leaderboard, and he'd probably be in pole position to win MVP if he was in the National League. Sadly, Judge remains a roadblock.

On Tuesday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly released updated MVP power rankings, and Witt finished a predictable second behind Judge for the top spot in the AL.

"The bad news for Witt is he may be headed for a similar fate in 2025. The good news for him and the Royals is that Witt is hitting .323 with an MLB-best 17 doubles. He's also stolen 14 bases, has a .920 OPS and a 2.6 WAR, which is higher than any position player in the NL," Kelly wrote.

"If Judge gets hurt or slips up in any way, Witt will become the immediate favorite to win AL MVP. If not, he's still producing at a Hall of Fame caliber, and that may very well lead the Royals to their second straight playoff appearance."

It's really that simple. Judge is the best hitter in baseball and there's no particularly close second right now--not even Shohei Ohtani in the NL. If the Yankees star stays on the field, he'll win his third MVP in a row in seasons he's avoided missing significant time due to injury.

There is, of course, another place Witt can beat Judge, one that matters even more. It's the playoffs, which would be doubly sweet because the Yankees took down the Royals in October last year.

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