Originally Posted by
gut
28 of 30 first place votes for Judge. Apparently AL records and making the playoffs actually does sway voters.
I stand by my claim that not a single GM would deal Ohtani for Judge straight up right now, if contracts/money were not a factor.
HR are revered in MLB, and many see him as the true baseball HR king, since Bonds/Sosa/McGwire were all clearly roids assisted.
It just felt weird to writers to give it to Ohtani when Judge not only set the HR record, but also hit .311 with a 1.111 OPS! Ohtani was excellent in both hitting and pitching, but he wasn't exceptionally good in either. That was the killer. I don't think Ohtani being on a failteam hurt him all that much in the voting.
Those giving Judge a huge contract need to take care. He played only 60% of the games from 2018-2020. Injuries might take him out fairly early, or at least severely limit his playing time and effectiveness. Guys who are 6'7" carry a great danger to get hurt in athletics. He will already be 31 just weeks into the 2023 season.