AL MVP Rival Calls Yankees Superstar Aaron Judge the ‘King of New York’

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has high praise for Yankees superstar Aaron Judge.

Sep 6, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits an RBI-double against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

In the final weeks of the 2024 MLB season, the AL MVP Award will likely come down to two players.

Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge have both had incredible statistical seasons while helping to propel their teams into postseason positions with under 20 games left to play. The Royals currently occupy the second AL Wild Card spot, 2.5 games up on the Minnesota Twins. In the AL East, the Yankees are a half-game up on the Baltimore Orioles and currently hold the best record in the American League. 

It also appears that Witt and Judge are fans of each other. 

In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Witt revealed that he admires Judge and how he conducts himself both on and off the field. He also gave him some high praise with a specific nickname.

"He's just so consistent," Witt said of Judge. "That's the name of the game: Stay healthy, stay on the field and help the team. He does that in a good way, and he does it the right way. He's not out there showboating. He's a big dude. He can do whatever he wants. He's the king of New York."

The one aspect of Judge’s game that Witt envies is his power. Witt told Passan “Balls I hit in the right-center field gap that are doubles, triples, he's hitting those out, way out, for homers."

Judge was just as complimentary about Witt’s development in Kansas City.

"He's the complete player," Judge told Passan of Witt. "Can hit, run, field, do everything. He was already a great player last year, but he continues to improve every single game I watch him."

Judge (1.150) and Witt (.992) rank first and third in major league OPS this season. Witt is tied with the NL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sandwiched in between them is Judge’s Yankee teammate Juan Soto (1.003). Witt leads the league in batting average, total hits, and runs scored while Judge sits atop the standings in home runs (51) and RBI (125). This duo has won a combined four AL Player of the Month awards this season.

The two MVP candidates will go head-to-head when the Yankees and Royals kick off a pivotal three-game series on Monday at Yankee Stadium.