Ohtani, Judge capture unanimous MVP honors
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge make up the pinnacle of their profession, baseball’s two biggest stars representing its two most prestigious franchises. Their meeting in last month’s World Series solidified it — and their latest honor commemorated it.
Ohtani and Judge captured the Most Valuable Player Awards in their respective leagues on Thursday, both doing so unanimously. Ohtani won his third in four years, all of them coming by unanimous vote. Judge’s second — which comes two years after he edged Ohtani for the American League honor with a home-run-record-breaking season — came on the heels of one of the best offensive performances in baseball history.
And yet the exploits of Judge’s season somehow paled in comparison to what his counterpart accomplished over the past 12 months.
In that time, Ohtani signed an unprecedented $700 million contract, became the first 50/50 player in baseball history, helped his Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Judge’s New York Yankees for the championship and ultimately became the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP — all while rehabbing a second major elbow surgery that prevented him from pitching.
“I’m very happy, obviously, to win the award,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said on a conference call. “My goal was to be able to pitch and contribute offensively, and the fact that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pitch this season just made me focus more on my offensive game. Fortunately, I was able to produce and get this award, which is very humbling.”
Ohtani became the 12th player to win three MVPs and the second to do so within his first seven seasons, joining Stan Musial, according to ESPN Research. Before Ohtani, Frank Robinson was the only player to win the award in both leagues (1961 NL, 1966 AL).
Ohtani led the National League in homers (54), RBIs (130) and OPS (1.036) while adding 59 stolen bases — 33 more than his previous career high. His first season as a Dodger began with his longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, being indicted for stealing millions from Ohtani in a betting scandal and ended in World Series victory, a fitting capstone to Ohtani’s first trip to the playoffs. In between, Ohtani set the Dodgers’ single-season record for home runs, stole more bases than any Japanese-born player in baseball history, became the first DH to lead his league in wins above replacement and joined Ty Cobb as the only player to finish within the top two in the majors in both homers and steals.
Before Ohtani, nobody had ever won multiple MVPs unanimously, let alone three.
“Obviously I moved to a new league and everything’s been kind of a new experience,” Ohtani said. “There’s so many great players in the National League, obviously, and to be able to win the award unanimously is a great feeling. I’m very proud of that. Hopefully in the upcoming seasons I’ll continue to be able to perform to this high level.”
Judge and Ohtani each captured all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor finished second to Ohtani with 23 second-place votes and Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte finished third, earning five second-place votes. In the AL, Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals’ young superstar shortstop, received all 30 second-place votes. Juan Soto, the high-profile free agent who spent all season batting in front of Judge in the Bronx, finished third.
Judge led the majors in homers (58), RBIs (144), OPS (1.159) and FanGraphs wins above replacement (11.2) in a 2024 season that saw the 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger spend most of his time in center field and lead the Yankees to a pennant. Judge’s 223 adjusted OPS was the highest among right-handed hitters since 1900, according to ESPN Research. He became the third player with at least 50 homers and an adjusted OPS of 200 or more, joining Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.
Judge is the seventh Yankee to win multiple MVPs, joining Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Maris. Before Judge, Mantle’s 1956 season was the only one in Yankees history to yield a unanimous MVP vote.
Since his first full season in 2017, when he was voted AL Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting, Judge leads the majors in FanGraphs wins above replacement (51.4), weighted runs created plus (176), slugging percentage (.611) and home runs (311) despite sitting out significant time in three of those eight seasons. He broke the AL home run record in 2022, going deep 62 times, but he was better in practically every other offensive category in 2024, slashing .322/.458/.701 despite a brutal first month.
“March and April were not my friend this year,” Judge, who did not take part in the standard BBWAA conference call, told MLB Network. “It’s a long season. You’re going to go through some ups, you’re going to go through some downs. It’s just about leaning on your teammates, your family and just putting in the work. I think that’s what it comes down to — just keep putting in the work and things are going to change. You can’t mope. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Especially in New York — nobody’s going to feel sorry for you.”
Of Judge’s 58 home runs in 2024, a whopping 23 gave his team the lead. But his season ended in bitter fashion, with Judge going 4-for-18 in the World Series and making a key error — dropping a fly ball to help set up what became a five-run fifth inning — in the decisive Game 5 on Oct. 30.
Six days later, Ohtani underwent surgery to repair a labrum tear in his left, non-throwing shoulder, the result of an injury he sustained on an attempted steal in Game 2 of the World Series. Ohtani has since removed the stitches from his surgically repaired shoulder and is focusing on range-of-motion exercises in the early stages of his ramp-up.
“The goal is to be ready for Opening Day. That includes hitting and pitching,” Ohtani said. “But we are kind of taking our time, obviously. We want to make sure that I’m healthy first; we’re not going to rush anything.”
It wasn’t until his fourth season in the big leagues that Ohtani emerged as a two-way force. He came over from Japan and made nine starts for the Los Angeles Angels before sustaining a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery in 2018, restricting him to DH for most of his first two years. The 2021 season — coming off a brutal showing in the COVID-shortened 2020 season — was the start of a historic three-year stretch in which Ohtani produced a .964 OPS with 124 homers and 57 stolen bases, and also a 2.84 ERA and 542 strikeouts in 428⅓ innings.
A second UCL repair followed, preventing Ohtani from pitching beyond August 2023. It did not prevent another dream-like season. Ohtani dismissed outsized pressure, focused on becoming a better base stealer and produced some of the season’s most memorable moments even before hoisting the World Series trophy. He hit a walk-off grand slam to join the 40/40 club and put together one of history’s best single-game performances — with three home runs, two steals and 10 RBIs in Miami on Sept. 19 — to reach the 50/50 mark and solidify his first postseason berth.
Ohtani is unquestionably at the top of the sport.
Judge is up there, too.
“When I hear that, I think people are coming for the spot,” Judge told MLB Network. “You got to keep putting in the work.”
It’s 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby day in Atlanta!
Some of the most dynamic home run hitters in baseball will be taking aim at the Truist Park stands on Monday (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) in one of the most anticipated events of the summer.
While the prospect of a back-to-back champion is out of the picture — 2024 winner Teoscar Hernandez is not a part of this year’s field — a number of exciting stars will be taking the field, including Atlanta’s own Matt Olson, who replaced Ronald Acuna Jr. just three days before the event. Will Olson make a run in front of his home crowd? Will Cal Raleigh show off the power that led to 38 home runs in the first half? Or will one of the younger participants take the title?
We have your one-stop shop for everything Derby related, from predictions to live updates once we get underway to analysis and takeaways at the night’s end.
MLB Home Run Derby field
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners (38 home runs in 2025)
James Wood, Washington Nationals (24)
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays (23)
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins (21)
Brent Rooker, Athletics (20)
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves (17)
Jazz Chisholm Jr., New York Yankees (17)
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
Live updates
Who is going to win the Derby and who will be the runner-up?
Jeff Passan: Raleigh. His swing is perfect for the Derby: He leads MLB this season in both pull percentage and fly ball percentage, so it’s not as if he needs to recalibrate it to succeed. He has also become a prolific hitter from the right side this season — 16 home runs in 102 at-bats — and his ability to switch between right- and left-handed pitching offers a potential advantage. No switch-hitter (or catcher for that matter) has won a Home Run Derby. The Big Dumper is primed to be the first, beating Buxton in the finals.
Alden Gonzalez: Cruz. He might be wildly inconsistent at this point in his career, but he is perfect for the Derby — young enough to possess the stamina required for a taxing event that could become exhausting in the Atlanta heat; left-handed, in a ballpark where the ball carries out better to right field; and, most importantly, capable of hitting balls at incomprehensible velocities. Raleigh will put on a good show from both sides of the plate but will come in second.
Buster Olney: Olson. He is effectively pinch-hitting for Acuna, and because he received word in the past 72 hours of his participation, he hasn’t had the practice rounds that the other competitors have been going through. But he’s the only person in this group who has done the Derby before, which means he has experienced the accelerated pace, adrenaline and push of the crowd.
His pitcher, Eddie Perez, knows something about performing in a full stadium in Atlanta. And, as Olson acknowledged in a conversation Sunday, the park generally favors left-handed hitters because of the larger distances that right-handed hitters must cover in left field.
Jesse Rogers: Olson. Home-field advantage will mean something this year as hitting in 90-plus degree heat and humidity will be an extra challenge in Atlanta. Olson understands that and can pace himself accordingly. Plus, he was a late addition. He has got nothing to lose. He’ll outlast the young bucks in the field. And I’m not putting Raleigh any lower than second — his first half screams that he’ll be in the finals against Olson.
Jorge Castillo: Wood. His mammoth power isn’t disputed — he can jack baseballs to all fields. But the slight defect in his power package is that he doesn’t hit the ball in the air nearly as often as a typical slugger. Wood ranks 126th out of 155 qualified hitters across the majors in fly ball percentage. And he still has swatted 24 home runs this season. So, in an event where he’s going to do everything he can to lift baseballs, hitting fly balls won’t be an issue, and Wood is going to show off that gigantic power en route to a victory over Cruz in the finals.
Who will hit the longest home run of the night — and how far?
Passan: Cruz hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball history. He’s the choice here, at 493 feet.
Gonzalez: If you exclude the Coors Field version, there have been just six Statcast-era Derby home runs that have traveled 497-plus feet. They were compiled by two men: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. James Wood — all 6-foot-7, 234 pounds of him — will become the third.
Olney: James Wood has the easy Stanton- and Judge-type power, and he will clear the Chophouse with the longest homer. Let’s say 497 feet.
Rogers: Hopefully he doesn’t injure himself doing it, but Buxton will break out his massive strength and crush a ball at least 505 feet. I don’t see him advancing far in the event, but for one swing, he’ll own the night.
Castillo: Cruz hits baseballs hard and far. He’ll crush a few bombs, and one will reach an even 500 feet.
Who is the one slugger fans will know much better after the Derby?
Passan: Buxton capped his first half with a cycle on Saturday, and he’ll carry that into the Derby, where he will remind the world why he was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2015. Buxton’s talent has never been in question, just his health. And with his body feeling right, he has the opportunity to put on a show fans won’t soon forget.
Olney: Caminero isn’t a big name and wasn’t a high-end prospect like Wood was earlier in his career. Just 3½ years ago, Caminero was dealt to the Rays by the Cleveland Guardians in a relatively minor November trade for pitcher Tobias Myers. But since then, he has refined his ability to cover inside pitches and is blossoming this year into a player with ridiculous power. He won’t win the Derby, but he’ll open some eyes.
What’s the one moment we’ll all be talking about long after this Derby ends?
Gonzalez: The incredible distances and velocities that will be reached, particularly by Wood, Cruz, Caminero, Raleigh and Buxton. The hot, humid weather at Truist Park will only aid the mind-blowing power that will be on display Monday night.
Rogers: The exhaustion on the hitter’s faces, swinging for home run after home run in the heat and humidity of Hot-lanta!
Castillo: Cruz’s 500-foot blast and a bunch of other lasers he hits in the first two rounds before running out of gas in the finals.
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