The top two contenders for MVP in the American League were set to take the field against each other for three games between two likely playoff participants beginning Monday night at Yankee Stadium
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, the MVP winner in 2022, and Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. each entered the series with a WAR of 9.6, as computed by FanGraphs.
But Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered his pinstriped superstar a ringing endorsement.
“I hear about it sometimes, but I think I get to watch the MVP every day,” Boone said before the series opener.
The 24-year-old Witt entered the game batting an MLB-leading .336, 15 points higher than Judge, who leads the majors in home runs (51), RBIs (125) and OPS (1.150) for the first-place Yanks.
Witt also is on the verge of his second straight 30-30 campaign, with 30 homers, 98 RBIs and 28 stolen bases for the improved Royals, who began play in the No. 2 wild-card position in the American League at 79-65 after losing 106 games in 2023.
“Any time when you got that around your name, it’s pretty cool,” Witt said when asked before the game about the MVP race. “I can’t really control that, so I just try to do what I can to help the team win each and every night. So that’s my ultimate goal.
“We’re in a playoff hunt right now and that’s what my mindset is on. I just gotta control what I control throughout this time and prepare the way I can and go have fun.”
When asked about Judge, Witt complimented the six-time All-Star outfielder as much for his off-field persona as for his on-field exploits.
“It’s incredible. I got to see him firsthand with the All-Star Game, with how he works and what he does and how great of a guy he is, not only on the field but off the field,” Witt said. “He respects everyone, talks to everyone, comes up to me and talks to me. He doesn’t have to do that. He’s Aaron Judge, so it’s pretty cool to see him do that as a person.”
In a recent interview with ESPN, Witt also had referred to the 6-foot-7 Judge as “a big dude” and “the King of New York.”
Judge, who was not available before Monday’s game, said in the same story about Witt: “He’s the complete player. 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.”
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While Boone made his MVP preference known, he also was effusive in his praise of Witt, who was named to his first career All-Star Game earlier this summer.
“His athleticism jumps off the page at you,” Boone said. “Obviously playing a premium position at shortstop, his speed, to watch him run, I think he might be the fastest guy in the league. And he plays it with a really good motor.
“You saw the talent when he got into the league, kind of felt like he was gonna be a really good player, and this year he’s obviously taken a giant leap at the plate and become a premium hitter, too. I think just his explosiveness, his athleticism and the energy he plays the game with [are] pretty impressive.”
