Aaron Judge has a good chance of winning MVP again, but the race isn't over yet.
At least, that shouldn't be the case.
Bobby Witt Jr. is tied with Judge for the top spot in Fangraphs fWAR at 9.6, and aside from being just behind in bWAR (9.5 vs. 9.1), Witt is having a relatively compelling season.
Judge's power and overall numbers are impressive (a 217-plus OPS ties him for the best in history), he's a good center fielder (and maybe that extra responsibility is to blame for his recent slump), and he takes his captaincy seriously.
Judge leads the MLB in homers (51), RBIs (126), on-base percentage (.454), slugging percentage (.686) and OPS (1.140), while Witt leads the league in batting average (.333), runs (120) and hits (195). As good as Judge is when it matters, Witt is even better. Witt leads the AL with a .379 batting average and a 1.166 OPS in scoring position and a .366/.446/.648 batting average in the closing outs and late innings.
Additionally, a talented shortstop, Witt ranks third in the MLB with 18 outs above average.
As important as Judge is, Witt is leading a young team that is in position to be rewarded in 2023 after a 56-win season.
