"I find it hard to believe anyone can take that away from him" - Los Angeles Angels manager confident Shohei Ohtani deserves AL MVP ahead of Aaron Judge

The American League MVP race has essentially turned into an Aaron Judge versus Shohei Ohtani showdown. The debate rages with only five weeks of regular season action remaining.

Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin knows Judge all too well. Nevin spent four seasons as the New York Yankees’ third base coach.

Judge homered against Nevin’s Angels on Monday for his 50th home run of the campaign. However, Shohei Ohtani’s two-run home run helped the Angels to a 4-3 win.

Judge launched his 51st homer on Tuesday night against the Angels in Game 2. He is now only 10 shy of Roger Maris’ single-season American League record (61).

Apart from Maris, only four players have homered more than 60 times in a year: Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa. If Judge maintains his current trajectory, he will finish the season with 63 home runs.

According to Nevin, Shohei Ohtani is the favorite for the MVP crown yet again. His numbers are not as dominating as last year, but the Angels skipper still believes Ohtani's two-way brilliance is simply unmatched. He did agree to a certain degree of bias, though, and that’s understandable.

"Has the MVP race in the AL been settled?" - MLB Network Radio on SiriusSM

Speaking on MLB Network Radio, Nevin said:

"I care a lot about Aaron. I love him to death. The four years we spent together were special to me. I love watching him play, I wish nothing but the best for him. Same for my guy, Shohei. People ask me, 'Who's the MVP?' I am a little biased right now.

"Until somebody can do the things on the mound and hit, put up the numbers he does, both sides of the ball, I find it very hard to believe someone can take that away from him. Obviously Aaron is having a heck of a season and I understand his argument."

Judge joined Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle in being the only three Yankees to have enjoyed multiple 50-homer campaigns. Judge hit 52 homers in his rookie 2017 season. He is now one hit shy of his career-best.

He also became the seventh player in MLB history to reach 50 homers before September. He is the first to do so since his current teammate, Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton homered 59 times for the 2017 Miami Marlins.

Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, is averaging .267/.359/.523 and has 29 homers to his name. However, he has been more dominant on the mound. He has an 11-8 record with a 2.67 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 128 innings.

Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani? There is no wrong answer

Whether you are rooting for Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani depends on how you perceive the MVP award. If esthetics are what you prefer, then it’s easy to understand why you would go for Shohei Ohtani. What he is doing right now is once in a lifetime stuff, so cherish every bit of it.

If value and influence is your measuring yardstick, then there is no other option but Aaron Judge. His numbers have been spoken about at length, let’s highlight his influence.

The Yankees have hit 204 homers this year, 51 of which have been from Judge. That’s one-fourth of their home run production.

"AARON JUDGE BLASTS HOMER NUMBER 51" - Talkin Yanks

Without Judge, it’s difficult to imagine the Yankees anywhere near the World Series picture. They are stumbling right now and are not exactly favorites, but at least they are in the discussion. The Angels, in that context, are nowhere to be found.

If Aaron Judge goes on to break Roger Maris’ single season record, the AL MVP debate will be well and truly settled. With only 10 home runs to go, it seems like a matter of when and not if.