"Tiebreaker goes to Aaron Judge just by a fraction" - HOFer John Smoltz sees Yankees captain edging out Shohei Ohtani for having the best 2024 season

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have taken the baseball world by storm this season. Both sluggers have been the story of the season with what they have been able to do at the plate.

Through 132 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani has hit .294./.379/.620 with an NL-leading 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases. He recently became the fastest member to get into the 40-40 club, surpassing Alfonso Soriano's record in 147 games.

Judge, on the other hand, has played in 133 games for the New York Yankees, hitting .331/.464/.725 with an MLB-leading 51 home runs and 123 runs batted in. Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz sees Judge having the better potential season, via the Flippin' Bats podcast.

"I would say that Aaron Judge, in what he is doing with the New York Yankees, could single-handedly put his team in the playoffs. The tiebreaker goes to Judge just by a fraction," - said Smoltz.

Although Ohtani has broken history yet again this season, what Judge has done for the Yankees has been outstanding. Without him in the lineup, the Bronx Bombers are a shell of themselves.

Judge has carried the load for the Yanks, and while Ohtani is a star for the Dodgers, they have Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts to pick up the slack if needed. Smoltz puts a bigger importance on how important each player is in their respective lineup.

The offensive battle between Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge could be more relaxed after this season

Shohei Ohtani - Syndication: Arizona Republic - (Photo via IMAGN)

One potential reason that Shohei Ohtani has exploded offensively this season is he is only worried about his offense. Unlike in previous seasons, Ohtani is being used exclusively as a designated hitter following his off-season UCL surgery.

This is a reason that he has been stealing bases at an impressive rate this season. MLB broadcaster Ben Verlander does not believe Ohtani will be stealing at the clip he has been next season when he returns to the mound.

"As long as he is pitching, which next year he is going back to pitching, we're not going to see him steal 50 bases next year. We might see him back in the 20-30 range, but I dont think he's going to be running like he has been this year" - Verlander said.

This could be the last season where Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are both at the top spot offensively.