Bobby Witt Jr (L), Aaron Judge (C) and Shohei Ohtani (R) (image credits: instagram/kcroyals, yankees, dodgers)

MLB Insider Jeff Passan and sportscaster Rich Eisen recently talked about Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge and LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani as the three candidates for a hypothetical “overall MVP” award (AL and NL combined) this season. For Passan, both Judge and Witt rank above Ohtani.

All three players are having exceptional 2024 seasons. Bobby Witt Jr. leads the big league in batting average with .336 while Aaron Judge has the most home runs with 51. Shohei Ohtani, with 45 home runs and 46 stolen bases, aims to be the first player in MLB history to record a 50-50 season.

In Friday’s edition of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Passan talked about why he picked Witt over Ohtani.

“[6:36] I would take Witt over Ohtani. [That’s] Because Ohtani’s a DH. Bobby Witt has a higher batting average than him, Bobby Witt’s on base percentage is right there with him, Bobby Witt’s slugging percentage is right there with him. They’re both around .400-.600 on those.”

“Offensive numbers-wise, he is coming close to matching him. I understand home runs are a big deal, as they should be, but Witt’s got him in doubles and triples, and beyond that, he plays shortstop at an extraordinary level.”

For the NL MVP award, Passan talked about why Judge and Witt are head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.

“[4:48] Those two are so much better than everyone else, and that includes Juan Soto, Gunnar Henderson and Jarren Duran and all the other guys up there. They are charting a course in terms of WAR (wins above replacement) that we have not seen in upward of a hjndred years. Judge’s bat takes him above and beyond everyone, but in terms of all-round players, there’s no one like Bobby Witt right now.”

Royals come from behind to beat Twins as Bobby Witt Jr. hits go-ahead RBI

The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday and clinched the series. After a shutout win in the series opener on Friday, the Royals found themselves down two runs for the majority of the game, before they scored four runs in the eighth inning. Both starting pitchers, Alec Marsh and Bailey Ober, registered quality starts.

Bobby Witt Jr. contributed to the win with an important base hit to give the Royals the lead. He registered his 98th RBI this season to score Kyle Isbel. MJ Melendez followed suit for the home team and left the Twins with a mountain to climb in the last inning.

The Royals face the Twins again on Sunday where they will look to sweep the series. With both sides in the top three of the AL Wildcard, every win is important to maintain a strong position and qualify for the playoffs.