Baseball

Aaron Judge Edges Shohei Ohtani for Baseball Digest Player of the Year

AP photos
**Left:** Aaron Judge waves to fans after the New York Yankees clinched the American League East title, Sept. 26, 2024, in New York. **Right:** Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani follows the flight of his single off Colorado Rockies pitcher Seth Halvorsen in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver.

13:37 JST, October 5, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge won the Baseball Digest/Inside Edge major league player of the year award Friday, beating out Shohei Ohtani in a very close vote.

Both superstars were tabbed first on 12 of 24 ballots. But the New York Yankees outfielder also received 12 second-place votes, while the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger was chosen third on a pair of submissions.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. garnered the other two second-place votes and came in third.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was selected the sport’s top pitcher, and Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was a unanimous pick for reliever of the year in balloting by a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters that included several former players, managers and executives.

Judge took the same prize in 2022. Ron Guidry (1978) and Derek Jeter (2006) are the only other Yankees to win.

Ohtani has finished second each of the past three years after winning in 2021. Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was the winner last season.

Judge led the majors in 2024 with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs and a 1.159 OPS, propelling the Yankees to an AL East title. He batted .322 and scored 122 runs.

Ohtani had 54 homers, 130 RBIs and a 1.036 OPS as the Dodgers won the NL West in his first year with team after signing a record $700 million contract in free agency. He also stole 59 bases — producing the first 50-50 season in big league history — and batted .310 with an MLB-best 134 runs.

The two-way phenom didn’t pitch this year, appearing exclusively at designated hitter while recovering from his second major elbow surgery.

Skubal won the pitching Triple Crown in the American League, going 18-4 while leading the circuit in wins, ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228) in 192 innings.

He received 18 first-place votes to five for fellow left-hander Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, who won the pitching Triple Crown in the National League at 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings.

Philadelphia right-hander Zack Wheeler got the other first-place vote.