Judge-Ohtani matchup showcases best baseball has to offer

It’s time for a rematch. After going head-to-head in the World Series last fall, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are set to begin a weekend series in L.A. The Dodgers are 34-22 and the Yankees 35-20. The Dodgers have the third best record in the National League and the Yankees the second best in the AL. These two prestigious franchises look to be in the mix again for a possible October rematch in the Fall Classic. 

The Dodgers spent big dollars again this past offseason. They added Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, to the rotation. They also re-signed Teoscar Hernandez to play right field, added outfielder Michael Conforto and relievers Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott. Although the Yankees lost slugging outfielder Juan Soto in free agency to the crosstown rival New York Mets, they pivoted to ace pitcher Max Fried, outfielder Cody Bellinger, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. They also fortified their bullpen with trades for Fernando Cruz and Devin Williams. 

Despite the moves in the winter, each team is still led by their superstar players. Shohei Ohtani is a three-time MVP, winning the American League Award in 2021 and 2023 and the National’s MVP in 2024. Judge has won AL MVP twice (2022 and 2024). There is no question that these are the two best players in baseball over the last several years and they are the odds-on favorites to win the awards again this season in their respective leagues. 

These two superstars are once again having remarkable seasons. Looking at their numbers this year and over the past several seasons, it is clear they are not only the best players in the game today, but they are among the all-time greats. And we get them once again in a head-to-head matchup this weekend. It isn’t truly Ohtani vs. Judge but it sure feels that way. They are the only players in baseball who could truly protect each other in the lineup. If Ohtani was hitting behind Judge, I might choose to have my pitcher face Judge. If Judge was hitting behind Ohtani, I might choose to pitch to Ohtani. 

How good are they? Ohtani is the only 50+ homer/50+ stolen bases player in baseball history. He’s hit 20 homers in his first 55 games this year, making him one of only three Dodgers to ever accomplish that feat, joining Gil Hodges in 1951 and Cody Bellinger in 2019. Last season, when Ohtani hit 54 home runs, he didn’t reach 20 homers until his 72nd game. Ohtani has a 191 OPS+, which means he is 91 per cent better than the average major leaguer (100 OPS+ is average). 

Judge owns the AL home run record after mashing 62 longballs in 2022. He had an amazing 210 OPS+ that year as well. But in 2024, although he hit four fewer home runs (58), he had an even better season by advanced metrics with a 225 OPS+. That is 125 per cent better than an average player. It was the best season ever for a right-handed hitter according to that stat. This year, Judge is even better, as he enters Friday’s series with a 244 OPS+, or 144 per cent more effective than the average hitter. Judge’s batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage (.391/.488/.739) are all more than 90 points higher than Ohtani’s (.292/.394/.648). Ohtani has been amazing, but Judge is performing even better. 

If I had to take one of Judge or Ohtani to start my team, I would take Judge. 

In addition to being one of the best ever on the field, he is also one of the best ever off the field. He is a great leader and understands his role as the face and voice of the organization. Ohtani is an international marketing star and generates more revenue for his team than Judge. But when it comes to winning, I will take the Yankee slugger. 

Ohtani is a better base stealer than Judge, but he will steal far fewer this season than the 59 he swiped last year. He has 11 so far this season which puts him on pace for just over 30. He is running less because of his shoulder injury last year and the fact that he is going to pitch this season. He needs to save his energy for getting back on the mound. 

Ohtani will soon add to his overall value as he returns to being a two-way player. He is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. If I were running the Dodgers, I would actually scrap the idea of pitching completely for Ohtani. He has been the most protected starting pitcher in baseball since he arrived in MLB in 2018. He pitches once a week and is removed from games when his team is ahead to limit his pitch count. Even with these protections, he has broken down twice and needed Tommy John surgery. 

The likelihood is that he will break down again. Back in August of 2023, his body was rejecting being a two-way player. The Angels had just decided to hang onto him at the trade deadline and he pitched against the Tigers and threw a shutout in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game of the double dip, he hit two home runs but started cramping while running the bases. From that point on he had multiple issues with cramping in his legs, side, forearms, and legs. Shortly after dealing with that, he injured his elbow and needed surgery for the second time. 

Just let the man hit and scrap the pitching. If he injures his elbow in May during a season, the Dodgers will lose his bat as well as his arm for parts of two years. It just isn’t worth the risk to me. 

Enjoy this weekend of baseball between the Yankees and Dodgers. It is not only a rematch of last year’s World Series, it may be a preview of this year’s as well. I picked the Phillies and Rangers to meet in the World Series. I would like to take a mulligan on the Rangers as they have been very disappointing this year. To put it in perspective, the Rangers offence is worse than the Blue Jays. 

The Yankees and Tigers seem to be the class of the American League so far. The Dodgers will have a tougher path to the World Series than the Yankees. There are more than a handful of teams in the National League that can take down the injury-plagued Dodgers: Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Phillies and Mets. Today, I believe it will be a rematch of the 2009 World Series: Phillies vs. Yankees.