Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic <\/p>\n
BOSTON \u2014 My very unscientific, extremely informal American League MVP poll posed little chance for real resolution inside the Yankees clubhouse. The top two MVP contenders reside there, separated by only a few feet inside this rundown locker room, and by no more than that in the actual race.<\/p>\n
The AL MVP in reality \u2014 and of course in that room, too \u2014 is either slugging center fielder Aaron Judge or slugging right fielder Juan Soto. It\u2019s close enough that the vast majority of about a dozen Yankees personnel canvassed Sunday called it a draw or declined to choose.<\/p>\n
One said Judge flat out, two seemed to lean Judge, and one said Soto. Other than that: blank ballots.<\/p>\n
Cases certainly also could be made for Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez. But a check of the stat leaderboard is clear. Judge is first in most categories, Soto second.<\/p>\n
If the voting took place today, one Yankee should win and the other should finish second. But as to which one, most Yankees wouldn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n
Manager Aaron Boone responded to my question by telling me I\u2019m MVP. He\u2019s funny (in his own way).<\/p>\n
Giancarlo Stanton said he\u2019d have to defer to me since I\u2019m the one with an actual vote. Not necessarily, I explained to Stanton.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve only voted for MVP about four times in 35-plus years of doing this. Each vote goes to two writers in every AL city, and even though writers are unfortunately trending toward extinction, I usually work in cities with way more than two writers so I generally get a different vote or am benched altogether. (I probably should have had more MVP votes, but since most of the players I\u2019ve voted for later turned out to be steroid guys, I secretly suspect the voting committee has me on double-secret probation.)<\/p>\n
Anyway, Stanton cagily dragged me into my rather tedious explanation about the voting process instead of actually choosing between Judge and Soto. Stanton is a clever guy so I figured he\u2019d find a way to dodge the question.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I pressed on.<\/p>\n
Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus, a Dartmouth man, introduced some Ivy League equivocation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a New York Yankee,\u201d Ausmus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like both,\u201d catcher Jose Trevino said. \u201cThankfully, they\u2019re on our team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Third-base coach Luis Rojas ask if there could be \u201cco\u201d MVPs?<\/p>\n
One of the two most definitive answers came from Judge, who wasn\u2019t afraid to play jury. He selected Soto. (Soto was unavailable pregame and in a hitters\u2019 meeting, though I\u2019m not certain why he needs that.)<\/p>\n
\u201cJuan\u2019s definitely got my vote based on what he\u2019s done all year, coming up big to making great defensive plays,\u201d Judge told The Post. \u201cThe guy\u2019s always on base for me. He makes my job a lot easier. He and [Anthony] Volpe are the engine of this offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henderson, Witt and Ramirez are all putting together MVP-type seasons. But as to who\u2019s actually the MVP so far (Judge did note it\u2019s pretty early), it\u2019s got to be one of the two Yankees, who are doing a Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig thing in their first-year pairing.<\/p>\n
Judge, who was MVP in 2022 when he set the AL home run record, and Soto are 1-2 in the key categories, and the statistical case slightly favors Judge. Judge is one to Soto\u2019s two in slugging percentage (.681 to .599), OPS (1.108 to 1.035), runs created (76 to 71) and adjusted batting wins (40 to 34) while Soto is one to Judge\u2019s two in on-base percentage (.435 to .427) and times on base (138 to 137).<\/p>\n
Judge has bigger power numbers, he gets a slight edge as a fine center fielder compared to Soto\u2019s underrated right field, and unlike Soto, he usually doesn\u2019t have a future Hall of Famer batting behind him (Soto has Judge behind him.)<\/p>\n
However, Soto has been great from Day 1, when his great throw saved the opener against hated Houston. And Soto is the one who transformed the lineup that wasn\u2019t even average last year. (That point\u2019s probably unfair to Judge, who\u2019s done it alone at times over the past few years.)<\/p>\n
It feels like some in the Yankees lineup are trying to emulate Soto by being more discerning at the plate \u2014 though no one but no one can be him. Who else could possibly be so comfortable with two strikes?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s not the best hitter in the game he\u2019s right up there,\u201d Judge said about Soto. \u201cHe has incredible bat-to-ball skills. He has such a great eye that he\u2019s not afraid to take it with two strikes, even against guys he hasn\u2019t seen before. He doesn\u2019t mind taking it to two strikes. Two strikes, 3-2, 0-0, the guy\u2019s a great hitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge was pretty convincing in the case he made for Soto. In addition to being a great player, Judge is also a great captain. And that\u2019s probably about all I proved with my silly survey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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