One of the best parts of baseball fandom is to compare two players and prove how one is better. Usually, this activity generates tons of controversy and debates. However, there are times when this controversy gets generated for all the wrong reasons. A top baseball analyst has found himself in a similar situation after his comparison of Aaron Judge and “Healthy” Bryce Harper left the fans fuming.

As is common knowledge, Philadelphia Phillies’ Harper hasn’t had the best of luck with injuries recently. More importantly, the slugger’s sense of responsibility has forced him to forego proper rest. This has led to Harper playing through injuries and has negatively affected his stats. So it’s understandable why the analyst wanted to study how a fit Harper would look like. But then fans have pointed out that the comparison is quite unfair to Judge for multiple reasons.

Bryce Harper vs Aaron Judge creates controversy

MLB Now’s Brian Kenny recently talked about the best hitters in baseball. Kenny noted that the New York Yankees’ captain is currently on top of MLB in OPS+. On the other hand, Harper ranks at no.6. However, Kenny noted that Harper’s numbers are misleading due to his multiple injuries.

As a result, the analyst decided to take only Harper’s healthy performances on record. That suddenly led to Harper’s slash going from .297/.402/.546 to an extremely good .310/.416/.610. In one fell swoop Harper was ahead of Judge’s .287/.397/.607. However, this comparison didn’t sit well with the fans who called out Kenny for cherry-picking the numbers.

Kenny did explain that the numbers aren’t park-adjusted and that Judge has played through injuries. However, he didn’t put Judge’s healthy numbers here as he did for Harper. It’s notable because All Rise too returned quite early from his big toe injury in 2023. Similarly, he has struggled with injuries throughout the last three years. So in a way, fans wondered why Judge’s “healthy” numbers weren’t included. 

So now comparisons have begun and there is a clear distinction between the two players. However, the two have started their 2024 on a similar but slightly different note.

How do the two compare in 2024?

Bryce Harper had gone hitless in his initial games until he exploded with 3 home runs against the Cincinnati Reds. Ever since then, the Phillies star has been on a roll with consistent hits in each of the next three games. Aaron Judge too has started slowly but this good form is yet to come. Even though Judge has hit 2 homers till now, his average is currently a dismal .212 while Harper’s stands at .296.

However, here’s an interesting stat (via Stathead) – ever since Judge debuted in 2016 – he has hit 259 home runs, and Harper? He’s hit 212. However, Harper’s postseason performance has been on another level than Judge’s. Perhaps that’s why it’s difficult to compare these two superstars. Their strengths are different and so are their struggles. They do have one similarity – they’re both generational players.

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