Aaron Decide and Shohei Ohtani each are placing collectively unbelievable seasons. However which participant’s 2024 will go down as essentially the most historic marketing campaign?
It is a no-wrong-answers type of state of affairs, like selecting between pizza or tacos. Nonetheless, we have now gathered collectively 9 MLB.com writers right here with the aim of creating them decide.
On one hand, you could have Decide’s pursuit of his personal American League report of 62 residence runs, set simply two years in the past. Alternatively, you could have Ohtani’s cost towards MLB’s first 50-50 season. Each superstars are placing up spectacular general numbers, too, however these are the types of headline accomplishments that baseball followers might be speaking about for a few years to return.
So with out additional ado, right here is how our writers got here down on this debate:
Jason Catania, supervising editor, breaking newsOhtani, as regular for him, is doing one thing we’ve actually NEVER seen earlier than by chasing the primary 50-homer, 50-steal season in MLB historical past. Even when he wasn’t capable of pitch this yr, the worldwide famous person nonetheless discovered a approach to be a ridiculous two-way risk. Add in the truth that it’s coming in his first yr with the Dodgers after signing a historic 10-year, $700 million contract, and effectively, Ohtani is as must-watch and as most-memorable because it will get.
Apologies to Decide, who’s the game’s premier offensive pressure proper now, however the nightly buzz for every Ohtani homer OR stolen base will wind up being extra thrilling and dramatic — and enjoyable! — down the stretch than the Yankees captain’s repeat pursuit of 60-plus homers. And if Ohtani really goes 50-50, we’ll look again on 2024 with that because the standout particular person achievement.
Will Leitch, nationwide columnistOne of my favourite subplots of this season has been all of the folks studying, “wait … Shohei Ohtani is quick, too?” He has at all times been quick, after all, however this yr, freed up from pitching (for now) and capable of actually dig into how a lot simpler it’s to steal bases than it was when he first got here within the league, he’s operating like loopy. And that’s nice. It’s wonderful, really.
However. Shohei is excelling at one thing that, we will all agree, has gotten simpler in the previous couple of years. You understand what hasn’t gotten simpler? Hitting! It’s ridiculously arduous! Have you ever seen what these pitchers are throwing? And but Aaron Decide is (probably) going to hit 60 homers (once more) whereas additionally main the Majors in RBIs, walks, slugging, on-base share and (clearly) OPS. Just one participant prior to now 80 years has had a greater OPS+ — primarily, how significantly better you’re in comparison with each different hitter in baseball — than Decide goes to have this yr: Barry Bonds (who, uh, did it 4 instances). If I’m mentioning your title in the identical sentence as Bonds, you’re doing one thing otherworldly.
Stealing bases is cool, notably whenever you’re additionally going to hit 50 homers. However what Decide is doing is mind-blowing. It actually is perhaps the perfect season by a right-handed hitter of all time. There have been a variety of right-handed hitters!
Anthony Castrovince, senior writerThough Decide’s fee stats are, virtually inconceivably, higher than 2022, he’s in the end chasing … himself. And it’s going to take a Herculean effort down the stretch for him to succeed in 63 homers and break his personal American League report. However Ohtani has already finished one thing that has by no means been finished earlier than. Even when he falls wanting 50-50, each residence run and each steal he logs from right here on out creates a beforehand non-existent “membership” (the 43-43 membership, the 45-46 membership, and many others.).
Some folks would possibly pooh-pooh this accomplishment due to the larger luggage and pickoff limits — the identical surroundings that accompanied Ronald Acuña Jr.’s first-of-its-kind 40-70 season a yr in the past. However whereas Ohtani is undoubtedly aided by these guidelines, it’s not as if the MLB fee of steals is in new and unrecognizable territory. League-wide, there was a better fee of steals as lately as 1992. So, Ohtani’s contributions depend. And the truth that he’s doing it at a listed 6-foot-4, 210 kilos (Jose Canseco was the one different man that giant to have a 40-40 season) and — oh, by the way in which — whereas recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure makes it much more unbelievable. Each of those seasons are extraordinary, however solely Ohtani’s is, by definition, historic.
Mike Petriello, stats analyst“Will Aaron Decide get to 60 [or 62] residence runs?” is clearly vital, and but … it’s not a very powerful factor about his season, no less than to me. It’s not what I’ll keep in mind. It’s that he’s going to have one of many 10 (or so) finest all-around hitting seasons of all time, the place the names forward of him are Barry, Babe, Ted, and Mickey – and no, you don’t want their final names. He’s on monitor to have the best hitting season by a right-handed hitter ever. Ever! If he does that and “solely” hits 59, it received’t diminish him in any respect in my eyes. Take everybody who stepped to the plate 4,000 instances in a profession, and Decide is now fifth-best, ever. It’s the homers, positive. It’s not simply the homers. It’s all of the overwhelming offensive dominance in all methods.
It’s not that I’m not impressed by Ohtani perhaps doing 50-50, after all. I’m so impressed by Ohtani! However we did this a bit with Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 40-70 final yr, too; the foundations modified to encourage extra steals. They’ve labored tremendously. I’ll have an interest to see if we’re now seeing these homer-steal marks challenged usually within the years to return.
The decision: Decide, and it isn’t shut.
Brian Murphy, reporterI agonized over which aspect to pick out earlier than resting on the truth that there isn’t a mistaken reply right here, so simply go together with your intestine.
Ohtani is having the extra historic season.
However in my thoughts, historic shouldn’t be the optimum phrase for this train as a result of each gamers are making historical past in their very own method. In the end, Ohtani’s season is extra memorable as a result of it might be unique. Nearly as good of a yr as Decide is having fun with — it is perhaps among the many 10 finest offensive seasons in AL/NL historical past, as Mike offered above — we have now seen one thing comparable from him lately. Decide’s 62-homer marketing campaign in 2022 ranks Seventeenth-best all time by wRC+.
However who thought we might see Ohtani pair his prodigious energy with the potential for 50-plus steals? It’s gobsmacking how the participant who generally does issues we’ve by no means seen earlier than continues to do issues we’ve by no means seen earlier than — all whereas recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure.
And look, we gravitate towards large, spherical numbers in sports activities. Though Decide has been completely dominant, there’s something about 50-50 that can stick to baseball followers. There are solely six gamers who’ve made it into the 40-40 membership. Going a degree past that’s virtually unfathomable.
In closing, Ohtani’s 2024 season stands to be extra “historic” for that reason: We’re witnessing the world’s most gifted baseball participant obtain one thing that has by no means been completed within the large leagues.
Thomas Harrigan, supervisor, analysis and breaking newsJudge is actually in rarefied air right here, particularly whenever you additionally take into account what he did two years in the past. He has an opportunity to develop into simply the third participant with multiple 60-homer marketing campaign and solely the tenth participant within the Fashionable Period (since 1900) with an OPS+ of 210 or increased in a number of qualifying seasons. A Triple Crown stays in play, too. However when you’re in search of who’s having the extra historic season this yr alone, it’s Ohtani.
As wonderful as Decide has been, we’ve seen this earlier than, be it from the Yankees slugger himself or a few of the different nice hitters all through baseball historical past. Ohtani, then again, might create the 50-50 membership. Given the rarity of 50-homer seasons on the whole — there have been solely eight of them relationship again to the beginning of 2008, three by Decide — it might be fairly some time earlier than we see another person make a 50-50 bid, even with final yr’s rule modifications resulting in an uptick in stolen bases.
Manny Randhawa, reporterWe’re speaking in regards to the presumptive MVPs right here, and each are primed to make historical past. However as unbelievable as Ohtani’s potential inauguration of the 50-homer/50-steal membership could be, Decide additionally has an opportunity to do one thing unprecedented — and it’s on the idea of an all-around offensive marketing campaign, not simply homers and steals: hit 60 or extra residence runs with an OPS+ of 210 or better in a number of seasons.
Decide set an AL report with 62 residence runs whereas posting a 210 OPS+ in his unbelievable 2022 marketing campaign. This season, he has a legit shot to eclipse 60 homers once more (he’s at present on tempo for 58), and his OPS+ getting into Saturday was at 221.
The one different gamers to ever obtain these numbers in a season as soon as are Babe Ruth (1927), Mark McGwire (1998) and Barry Bonds (2001). And on condition that Decide at present has a better OPS+ than McGwire did in 1998, the argument might be made that Decide is placing collectively the best offensive season by a right-handed hitter within the historical past of the sport, as Mr. Petriello notes above.
Sarah Langs, supervisor, analysis and particular projectsTo be clear: that is unattainable and that’s what makes baseball the perfect. We’re so fortunate to witness these two performances, and the truth that they’re taking place on the similar time is wonderful.
Aaron Decide is excellent and regardless of what number of residence runs he finishes with, this can have been a greater season than his 62-homer marketing campaign. That is completely nothing in opposition to him.
But when I’m approaching this as who’s having a extra historic season, the reply is Ohtani. It isn’t even in regards to the 50-50. Sure, everyone knows there have been rule modifications to encourage stolen bases. It’s about the truth that a participant who’s an excellent pitcher is now additionally having a power-speed season. When Ohtani reached 40 stolen bases, he turned the fifth participant with no less than one 200-strikeout season as a pitcher and 40-stolen base season. The opposite 4 all did so earlier than the mound was moved to its present distance in 1893 and the trendy stolen base rule was adopted in 1898. He’s second within the Majors in each residence runs and stolen bases. The one gamers to complete top-two in homers and stolen bases in the identical season are 1908 Honus Wagner and 1909 Ty Cobb.
Mark Feinsand, senior nationwide reporterAsking us to decide on between these two gamers and the seasons they’re having virtually doesn’t appear truthful. Decide and Ohtani have cemented their standing as the 2 finest gamers within the recreation, and what they’re doing in 2024 is solely a continuation of what we have now witnessed from them in recent times.
Ohtani’s pursuit of 50-50 is actually the extra historic by definition, as he’s trying to ascertain a membership that no participant has ever joined earlier than. However Decide’s season is extra spectacular to me as a result of he has finished it in a lineup with precisely one different offensive risk: Juan Soto. When the Blue Jays walked Decide repeatedly final month — together with an intentional stroll with no person on base! — I started to assume each staff would start using such a method. In any case, with Soto hitting in entrance of Decide, there merely hasn’t been a legit risk hitting behind him all season.
As my buddy Mike Petriello famous above, Decide is on monitor to have maybe the best season by a right-handed hitter in historical past. That’s fairly historic, whether or not he breaks his personal AL residence run report or not. Ohtani’s potential 50-50 season is wonderful, however steals have gone up with the brand new rule modifications, so there’s a little bit of an asterisk there in my thoughts. It’s a captivating debate, however I’ll go along with Decide.
OVERALL RESULTS: 5 votes for Ohtani, 4 votes for Decide.
Our panel’s picks reveal how our focus query is an actual toss-up. However Ohtani’s yr as a dual-threat dynamo will get the sting over Decide’s season, during which he has been a juggernaut on the plate as soon as once more.
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