Yankees' Captain Aaron Judge Highly Impressed by AL MVP Rival

The Yankees' superstar had some high praise for Bobby Witt Jr., especially regarding one of his tools.

Sep 9, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) tags out New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) at second base to complete a double play on a ball hit by Yankees catcher Austin Wells (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It goes without saying that Aaron Judge is having an all-time great season.

With a .322/.456/.694 slash line, 51 home runs, 126 RBI, an unfathomable 214 wRC+, and 9.7 fWAR, the New York Yankees captain appears to be on his way to winning his second American League MVP award in three seasons. In the latest MVP poll on MLB.com, Judge is the leader with 31 votes, over five times the amount of votes as Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who earned six votes; even Witt is left in awe by Judge's season, going as far to call him the "King of New York".

But Judge is well aware of the special season season Witt is having as well, and he's just as impressed as the rest of the baseball world.

"Just seeing the growth [from Witt] the past couple of seasons, he just gets better and better," Judge said to Peter Botte of the New York Post. "I feel like [2023] was a pretty amazing year [for him], and he's continuing to one-up it. He can do it all, he can do everything on a baseball field you can ask him to do. It's been a treat to watch him."

In particular, the 32-year-old outfielder was wowed by Witt's speed, which he demonstrated in Monday's game by scoring all the way from first base on a pop-up that fell in between second baseman Gleyber Torres and right fielder Juan Soto.

"That's one thing I wish I had in my bag. I wish I could score from first on a popup," Judge said.

He’s a freak. He’s the fastest kid alive. pic.twitter.com/lv9xPHPX1T

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 10, 2024

Judge may not be giving himself enough credit as a baserunner, as he can steal a base on occasion. In 2022, when the slugger hit 62 home runs to set the AL record, he also stole 16 bases; this season, he's swiped eight bags.

But of course, that's nothing compared to Witt, who is possibly the fastest player in baseball; his sprint speed, at 30.5 mph, ranks in the 100th and highest percentile on Baseball Savant. Thanks to his blinding speed, the 24-year-old has 107 stolen bases just three seasons into his career and is just two steals away from completing his second consecutive 30-30 season. Outside of stolen bases, Witt's baserunning run value is four runs (99th percentile on Baseball Savant) and he leads the majors with 119 runs scored.

When combined with the ability to hit for both average (.335, the highest in MLB) and power (30 home runs), as well as incredible defense up the middle, Witt has a 9.6 fWAR and is enjoying one of the greatest seasons ever by a shortstop.

Regardless of the actual winner of the 2024 AL MVP award, both Judge and Witt are wowing each other, as well as every fan in baseball, with Hall of Fame-caliber seasons.