How Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. & Yankees’ Aaron Judge, MVP candidates, fared head to head

The American League MVP race is largely down to two players: Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge.

Fans got a chance to see both this week as the Kansas City Royals played the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning and that thrust each superstar into the spotlight.

Judge is considered the front-runner for the prestigious award. He leads Major League Baseball in home runs (51), RBIs (126), walks (119) and OPS (1.140). The numbers look even better as the Yankees are 84-62 this season.

However, Witt is making the AL MVP race quite the debate. The 2024 All-Star leads the majors in batting average (.333), hits (195), and runs scored (120). Additionally, Witt has a 9.6 fWAR (FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement) that leads Judge (9.5 fWAR).

Should Witt continue his current pace, he would become the fifth player since 1900 to lead the league in all three categories.

The debate is likely to continue down the stretch. Voters will weigh different options before deciding who will take home the AL MVP award.

Here is how Witt and Judge have performed against each other this season.

Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Yankees

Witt hit .355 with 11 hits in 31 at-bats against the Yankees. He added four doubles in seven games this season.

This week, Witt was 3-for-14 with an RBI in the series. He also made a couple nice defensive plays, including a tag out of Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo on Wednesday.

Aaron Judge vs. Royals

Judge hit .254 with six hits in 24 at-bats against the Royals. In Wednesday’s game, he went 1-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.

Royals pitchers did a good job to limit Judge. He struck out eight times against them in six games while powering just one home run.