Ex-Yankees slugger shares wild take ranking Mets star over Aaron Judge: "Can't take away what Juan Soto is doing"

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are two of the best hitters in baseball. They were the most productive one-two punch in a single lineup in all of baseball last season. This year, they're on different teams.

Ahead of the 2025 season, two former Yankees players ranked the top position players in baseball. Naturally, both Judge and Soto came up on both players' lists hours before Opening Day.

Former Yankees catcher Erik Kratz said (via Foul Territory):

"Ohtani, Judge, Bobby Witt. Judge may have Bobby for a split second. You're talking about the rest of their career? Bobby. I think it goes Juan Soto, Gunnar, and Mookie. This might be the only list that Mookie is number six on."

Former New York Yankees star Todd Frazier added:

"For me, I got Soto as a top three. I have Ohtani, Soto, then I have Judge, if you want the truth. I would put Mookie, Bobby Witt, then Gunnar Henderson after that. I mean, you can't take away what Juan Soto has been doing."

The two lists contain many of the same names, although they differ in order. Frazier feels Soto should be considered better than Judge, despite the Yankees captain's two MVP titles, including last year's unanimous victory over Soto and Bobby Witt Jr.

Soto signed with the New York Mets on a record-setting 15-year, $765 million deal after a career-high season.

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Comparing Juan Soto and Aaron Judge

To date, Aaron Judge has the edge over Juan Soto in a plethora of offensive categories. He's also been superior defensively, as Judge has 46 defensive runs saved in the outfield and Soto has -15. Judge has never had a season lower than one DRS, and Soto's never been higher than four DRS.

Juan Soto and Aaron Judge were once teammates (Imagn)

On offense, their career marks paint the picture. Counting stats aren't fair, but averages are since they're not based on time. Soto has an impressive 158 career wRC+, but Judge is at 173.

Soto has never surpassed 10.0 fWAR, but Judge has done that twice. Judge's .288 batting average slightly exceeds Soto's .285. Judge slugs at a .604 rate, while Soto comes in at .532. Soto does hold the edge in on-base percentage and walk percentage.