Who can stop Aaron Judge? Right now, nobody

Judge has finished in the top five of the MVP voting three times in his career, but even the year he won in 2022 was a dogfight until the end thanks to former Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. 

Ohtani, winner of two of the last three AL MVP Awards, is certain to pile up the accolades as long as he's healthy. It took Judge breaking a 61-year-old record in 2022 to pry the MVP Award from him. Judge would certainly be dealing with Ohtani had the two-way star not left for the National League's Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Ohtani gone, who can stop Judge? Since 2022, it seems like only injuries. Judge missed 56 games last season, but still finished with 37 homers and 75 RBI. This season, through just 90 games, he's already surpassed his RBI and extra-base hits from last season.

Besides health, there will certainly be suitors who will challenge Judge for the MVP Award over the next several seasons. Here are three to keep an eye on.

Gunnar Henderson | SS | Baltimore Orioles

Henderson is Judge's challenger this season. The second-year star has the Orioles three games up on the Yankees in the AL East and he's hot on Judge's heels in many statistical leaderboards. Henderson leads the MLB in runs at 76 and has racked up 18 doubles, five triples and 27 home runs. At just 23 years old, it's a good bet Henderson will be a mainstay in the MVP discussion for years to come.

Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | Kansas City Royals

Another young shortstop, Witt will be playing in his first All-Star Game this season. The 24-year-old can flat-out hit and is third in MLB with a .324 batting average. His 119 hits and 25 doubles lead the league. Witt finished seventh in MVP voting in 2023.

Juan Soto | OF | New York Yankees

Judge's teammate could be some of his biggest competition in the MVP race. Soto was so good so quickly that it is easy to forget he's only 25 years old. 

He's a three-time All-Star and has ranked in the top four of MVP voting four times. This season, his .430 on-base percentage leads the league and he's seen an uptick in power with 21 homers through 88 games.

Should Judge continue mashing the ball through the second half of the season, it will be difficult for Henderson or anyone else to catch him in the MVP race. Right now, it's Judge's world and the leaderboards prove it.