Aaron Judge forcing Royals star to wait for his turn in the spotlight

In 2024, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. unanimously finished second in the American League MVP voting, behind the unanimous winner, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Both first and second being unanimous seemed an unlikely outcome, but there is a slim chance it could happen again in 2025. 

It is still early, but Judge is having another monstrous season. With a smidgeon over a quarter season done, Judge leads the AL in batting average (.414), home runs (14), RBI (40), runs (39) and Wins Above Replacement (3.9). No one is even close to him in the other categories outside the homers. His on-base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.783) are reaching Barry Bonds-like levels. 

Judge is being helped by a BABIP (.481) that isn't sustainable. As the season progresses, that will come down, as will his ratio stats. 

Witt is having another fantastic campaign so far, and his numbers seem much more sustainable through a long season. He leads the AL in doubles (17) and is second in stolen bases (14) and WAR (2.6). He is in the top 10 in batting average (.319), OBP (.386), SLG (.524), RBI (25), and runs (27). His BABIP (.366) is only 12 points higher than his 2024 mark. 

There is a lot of early competition for the second place in the AL MVP race. Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is having a terrific season. Alex Bregman, the new third baseman in Boston, is looking good, as is his teammate, outfielder Wilyer Abreu.

Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson and Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan are also having great starts to the 2025 season. 

It wouldn't be surprising to see players like Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez earn some MVP votes by October. 

Still, even with regression, Judge is the cream of the crop. At 33, he shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, he seems to be getting better with age. He is putting up all-time great numbers over the last three-plus seasons, even with missing over 50 games in 2023. 

Witt's play is in line with what he did last year. There is still room for improvement, especially in the long-ball department. Like Judge, he avoids prolonged slumps, and he is taking more walks than he ever has. With his mixture of speed, power, defense and consistency, he has to be considered the second-best player in the AL. 

Unfortunately for Witt, he is putting up incredible numbers at the same time as Judge is, and it isn't close. The only player who can challenge Judge for the best player in baseball is the Dodgers designated hitter, Shohei Ohtani, who, because of his pitching, is another beast altogether. 

Witt is stuck in runner-up mode, at least for the foreseeable future. The Royals superstar is seven years younger than Judge, so if Witt maintains his career arc, he will have his day (years) in the spotlight.