New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay has seen as much of Yanks slugger Aaron Judge as anyone. So when MLB Network released its Top 100 Players Right Now list, and Judge ranked No. 2, Kay had something to say. Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani sits atop the list, but Kay isn’t buying it. On Friday’s The Michael Kay Show, the Yankees’ play-by-play voice spent 10 minutes vigorously arguing the case that Judge belonged ahead of Ohtani on the list.
“You tell me, you tell me … how is Ohtani better than Judge?” Kay asked. Although he acknowledged that the ranking likely factored in Ohtani’s contributions as a pitcher, he pointed out that Ohtani isn’t expected to return to the mound until sometime in May due to an elbow injury. “He hasn’t pitched in 18 months. How do you know what type of pitcher he’s going to be when he comes back?” Kay queried, “And how do you know when he’s going to come back?”
Kay quickly compared their 2024 stats, noting that Judge had the edge in almost every category except for stolen bases. “On what planet can you say that Ohtani is better than Judge? I don’t understand it,” Kay exclaimed. “Are you projecting in 2025 that you think Ohtani is going to go back to being a dominant pitcher?”
Kay then floated a conspiracy theory, stating, “I just think, and I hate to admit it, that there is an anti-Yankee bias. I think everyone in Major League Baseball is absolutely in awe of the skill sets exhibited by Ohtani. And they should be — he’s one of the best baseball players ever. And so is Judge. When they’re that close, you have to look at the statistics … Judge’s statistics are far superior to Ohtani’s.” Many in the MLB world might agree with Kay that Judge deserves the No. 1 spot, especially if Ohtani has a shaky return to the mound. Others would argue Judge is clearly No. 2. Either way, it’s vintage Kay to see him get so animated on the topic.
