ESPN’s controversial ranking of American League MVP Aaron Judge bypassing his record-shattering 2024 campaign, has drawn widespread criticism from fans, fellow major leaguers, and respected analysts.
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the baseball world and ignited a firestorm of fan outrage, ESPN’s latest MLB player rankings have placed New York Yankees captain Judge fourth overall—behind Shohei Ohtani, Bobby Witt Jr., and Mookie Betts.
Judge’s monster 2024 season ignored?
For a player coming off one of the most dominant offensive seasons in modern baseball history, the placement feels oddly dismissive. Judge slashed .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, 133 walks, and a staggering 11.2 WAR, leading the New York Yankees to a World Series appearance. His OPS of 1.159 marked the highest in a full season since Barry Bonds in 2004, while his adjusted OPS+ of 223 is the best ever recorded by a right-handed hitter.
And yet, Judge finds himself behind players who, while great in their own right, did not come close to matching his production last season.
“Mookie Betts over Aaron Judge? Even acknowledging that the voting was conducted before Betts’ illness, it doesn’t add up for me,” ESPN’s David Schoenfield wrote. “Value? Judge just had the greatest season ever for a right-handed batter and has eclipsed 10 WAR in two of the past three seasons.”
Players call it out: ‘Judge Had a Barry Bonds Season’
The ranking has sparked vocal responses from several major league veterans. Tommy Pham, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates, came down heavy on ESPN.
“You’ve got Judge as the fourth-best player? Am I tripping here?… Judge can’t be that low,” he said. “With all due respect, everybody above him on the list is a great player—Mookie, Bobby, Ohtani is a unicorn. But Judge had a Barry Bonds season last year.”
Former MVP and longtime slugger Andrew McCutchen echoed Pham’s thoughts: “I like Bobby Witt [Jr.]’s skill set… but what Judge did for a couple of years running, it’s hard for me to put [Witt] above him.”
Even Manny Machado weighed in, offering his own revised top four: “It should be 1, 4, 2, 3.” Translation? Ohtani first, Judge second, followed by Witt and Betts.
Numbers don’t lie—But are they being ignored?
Comparing numbers makes the ESPN ranking even more puzzling. Mookie Betts, who ranked third, posted a solid .289/.372/.491 slash line in 2024, but those numbers pale in comparison to Judge’s unanimous MVP-winning season. Bobby Witt Jr., while undoubtedly a rising superstar, finished behind Judge in the MVP race and trailed significantly in nearly every major offensive category.
Critics argue the list places too much weight on projection and “buzz” rather than sustained dominance. As Pham bluntly put it, “You’re basing [a ranking] on two months? I can’t get on board with that.”
Judge’s value beyond the box score
What makes the slight even more egregious is Judge’s impact beyond stats. His leadership on and off the field has solidified him as the heartbeat of the Yankees. His 2023 injury absence coincided with a major slide in the team’s performance, a testament to his irreplaceable presence.
In a league that often prioritizes potential and projection, Judge’s proven production and intangibles seem to have been overlooked. This isn’t a one-season wonder. Since 2022, he has put together back-to-back elite campaigns, missing a third consecutive MVP title only due to injury setbacks in 2023.
If ESPN’s rankings were meant to be forward-looking, Judge seems to be taking it personally. As of early April 2025, he’s picked up right where he left off, launching five home runs and driving in 15 RBIs in just the first couple of weeks. He currently leads the American League in slugging and is top three in both OBP and WAR.
In typical Aaron Judge fashion, the Yankees’ captain hasn’t commented publicly on the ranking controversy, but his bat is doing plenty of talking.
A broader question: What are we valuing?
This debate has illuminated a deeper conversation about how we evaluate greatness in MLB today. Should projections outweigh actual performance? Are younger stars being pushed up too fast at the expense of veterans with sustained excellence?
While ESPN’s rankings are inherently subjective, their influence in shaping narratives can’t be denied. And that’s what’s particularly frustrating for Yankees fans and baseball purists—because Aaron Judge, by any tangible measure, has been the gold standard of production, consistency, and leadership in the sport.
The 2025 MLB season is still young, but if Judge continues on this torrid pace, his play will make the debate over ESPN’s list irrelevant. Numbers, after all, have a way of silencing even the loudest skeptics.
And for the New York Yankees, having a motivated Aaron Judge might just be their finest weapon in their pursuit of championship No. 28.
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