As MLB gets ready for another season full of fresh storylines, one debate never seems to go away: who’s really the best player in the league, Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani? Fans on both sides always have stats and accolades lined up to back their argument. Ohtani has only added to his legend, coming off back-to-back World Series titles, while Judge reminded everyone of his dominance by winning MVP last year.

So, the debate is already heated, but it hits a little differently when someone from inside the game weighs in. And that’s exactly what’s happened now, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sharing his latest thoughts on his most prized star. A take that’s bound to fuel the conversation even more.

“I do feel that he is the best player of all time to put on a baseball uniform, and I don’t need to see another five years to validate what my eyes are seeing…” Roberts shared via MLB Network.

Well, Roberts didn’t really leave much room for doubt in his view. And honestly, it’s not hard to understand why, especially after watching what Ohtani did in 2025 alone. The league’s only true two-way star pulled off things that barely seem human. For instance, in World Series Game 3, he became the first player in postseason history to go 4-for-4 with two homers and two doubles!

He also joined a ridiculously elite company by winning back-to-back MVPs in the same seasons he won a championship. Something only Joe Morgan in baseball has done before.

But what makes Ohtani so unreal isn’t just that he both hits and pitches. But how dominant he is at both. This postseason, he hit more balls over 100 mph than anyone in MLB. And he threw more 100-mph pitches than every starter except Hunter Greene and Tarik Skubal. That’s just absurd. No one else in the league can touch that kind of all-around impact.

So, seeing all of that up close, it’s easy to understand why Roberts concluded on Ohtani.

But does that mean Aaron Judge is far behind? Not really. You can knock him for the lack of World Series rings if you want. But his individual numbers are straight-up outrageous. Judge recently smashed his 190th HR in just 500 games, something only three players have ever done: McGwire, Sosa, and Barry Bonds. That kind of power is borderline unreal.

And when you stack up pure hitting numbers, Judge actually comes out ahead in areas like batting average and slugging. Ohtani is a different kind of monster because you have to factor in his pitching, but strictly as a hitter, Judge still reigns supreme.

So while Roberts is justified in crowning Ohtani for being dominant on both sides of the ball, Judge still has a very strong case as the best pure hitter in the game.

Aaron Judge is just one postseason away from being a bona fide legend

Well, there’s no denying that individual numbers show just how dominant a player is, but baseball has always been a team game. And when you’re talking about MLB, especially the Yankees, championships carry a different kind of weight. Rings are the currency of greatness in the Bronx, and that’s really the one area where Aaron Judge comes up short!

But is it fair to pin all of that on him? Not really.

Ohtani’s back-to-back World Series titles were the result of a loaded Dodgers clubhouse firing on all cylinders. If the Yankees had matched the level of support Judge provided last season, there’s a strong chance we’d be talking about a championship right now.

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So, that’s the strange part of Judge’s legacy. By the numbers, he’s already a legend. Yet he’s missing the most prized possession in MLB. And that’s why one ring would change everything. One ring, one October run, and his place as a bona fide legend would be unquestioned.