"He's a hall of famer from both sides" "Judge is not the most valuable player in the Major leagues this year" - MLB Twitter divided over 2022 AL MVP pick as recent Shohei Ohtani stats further fuel the debate

The American League MVP debate between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani has started to heat up. We are now less than a month away from the conclusion of the 2022 MLB season, and these two players are the frontrunners for the award. Both are having truly outstanding seasons, and will make their individual case for the award this year. However, upon observing some of Ohtani's unique stats, what he has accomplished is truly shocking.

To start off, Aaron Judge is having a historic season offensively for the New York Yankees. Through 137 games played, Judge has a slashline of .307/.410/.679, totaled to 1.090 OPS for the year. He also has 55 home runs and could be the first player to hit 60 plus in over twenty seasons.

He also basically carries a first-placed New York Yankees squad on offense. Amidst a second-half rut for the Yankees, Judge has been one of the only leading forces when he is up to the plate.

Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, is unlike any other Major League Baseball player we have ever seen before. His ability to both pitch and hit at such an elite level has been unmatched throughout history. The 2021 AL MVP winner is looking to repeat this outstanding feat again this season.

At the plate, Ohtani has put up a slashline of .266/.355/.539, along with 34 home runs and 23 doubles. It is more than impressive on its own, but has become unworldly when observing his stats on the mound this season.

On the bump, Shohei Ohtani is 12-8 with a 2.55 ERA through 24 starts with the Los Angeles Angels. He also has 188 strikeouts, which ranks seventh in all of Major League Baseball. Ohtani is truly having a Cy Young caliber year on the mound this season.

Both Judge and Ohtani have great cases behind their 2022 campaigns. The question now is, who will end up victorious?

Who will be this year's AL MVP winner, Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge?

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What it all comes down to is the preference of the voters and what they personally value. Aaron Judge is having an outstanding offensive season on a World Series contending team. If the voters value the team's success, along with breaking long-standing offensive records, then Judge will be their pick.

There is no doubt that what Shohei Ohtani is doing this season is unheard of. However, the Angels are completely out of playoff contention this season, which hurts Ohtani. Despite this, if the voters value Ohtani's unique two-way ability, then he is their guy.