Judge: Ohtani is 'best player in the game'

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had nothing but the highest praise for Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani as the AL and NL MVP favorites prepare to play each other in the World Series.

"He hits for average. He hits for power. The speed. Doing what he did this year with the 50 stolen bases. It got talked about a lot, but I don't think it got talked about enough," Judge said Tuesday when asked what he admires about Ohtani, per SNY. "He's an impressive athlete, the best player in the game. What an ambassador for this sport."

Ohtani is poised to take home his third MVP award in four years following an unprecedented 54-homer, 59-steal season. The Japanese superstar finished second in 2022 voting when Judge won his first MVP honor.

Meanwhile, Judge led the majors with 58 long balls and 144 RBIs to go along with an eye-popping 1.159 OPS. His 11.2 fWAR was the highest total since 2000 by any player outside of Barry Bonds.

Ohtani and Judge are both nominated for 2024 Player of the Year for the MLBPA Players Choice Awards.

The World Series begins with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Friday.