Aaron Judge is the strongest contender to win the Most Valuable Player award and is getting ready to make money as a free agent. However, he is not the most marketable player in the Major League. According to a report, this honor goes to Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.
Aaron Judge won the Sporting News Player of the Year Award with 66 percent votes compared to Ohtani’s 18 percent. But a report from SponsorUnited says that Ohtani, a two-way star for the Los Angeles Angels, is the most marketable player in baseball.
In 2022, the Angels superstar is the face of 17 brands. Aaron Judge touched a new height in 2021 with 13 brand endorsements. Ohtani’s endorsement income tripled when he became the first MLB star to find a place on the cover of all major sports publications all within six months of each other. These include GQ, Time, Sports Illustrated, and MLB The Show. He also brought close to two dozen Japanese brands to Angel Stadium, which is the most for any baseball stadium in the majors.
Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs this season, which was a league record. He also came close to winning the Triple Crown, which makes him the favorite to win AL MVP. However, the report also states “Aaron Judge isn’t even in the top 5 for brand deals this year.”
The New York Yankees slugger hasn’t made a big splash yet as the new American League single-season home run king. Aaron Judge remains way behind Ohtani in brand affiliations.
Also, despite having the most World Series wins (27) and becoming the most valuable MLB team, the Yankees are behind the Cincinnati Reds as the most marketable MLB team, according to the report.
The Cincinnati Reds have the most brand deals for the third year in a row. This year, they have 200 brand deals. Kroger, PNC Bank, altafiber, and TriHealth are the team’s largest sponsors. The New York Yankees are second with 170 deals, moving up from fourth place in 2021. The Boston Red Sox are third with more than 150 deals.
Does brand affiliation make a player or team more marketable?
