For the next few days, Yankee Stadium will host two of baseball’s brightest stars, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr., both of whom are competing for the American League MVP.
While the MVP race is exciting, what’s more significant is how both players are on the verge of entering an elite group of baseball’s best-ever seasons.
In MLB’s modern era, which began in 1920, only 46 players have achieved at least 10 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in a season, a metric that highlights all-around performance. Judge and Witt are on track to join this prestigious group. Despite a challenging offensive environment, both players have been dominant throughout the 2024 season. Judge, the Yankees’ towering captain, is delivering a historic offensive performance, while Witt, the Kansas City Royals’ dynamic shortstop, is excelling in every aspect of the game.
Their mutual respect is clear. Witt praised Judge’s consistency and leadership, while Judge acknowledged Witt’s all-around talent, recognizing his improvement every game. Historically, if both reach 10 WAR, they would become only the third pair of players in the same league to do so since 1927.
As the regular season winds down, fans should appreciate the rarity of these performances as each player adds to their growing legacy.
