Aaron Judge broke the AL Home Run record year. But this year, Shohei Ohtani has cemented himself as a contender to hit over 62 home runs this year as he continues his excellent season.

Ohtani continues to make history, and he put himself closer to Judge after knocking his 39th home run last Friday. However, he has not done anything since then. It has raised the odds that he will actually catch Judge for the title of AL Home Run king, according to Fan Duel. Regardless, there is still hope that he can get hot. Ohtani is the AL Home Run leader this year. Furthermore, he leads all of baseball in home runs.

We are looking at one of the greatest to ever play the game. Now, we get to see if he can break the AL Home Run Record that is not even a year old. Judge had an amazing 2022 season as all eyes were on him as he chased Roger Maris' old AL record. However, Ohtani has put himself in the conversation as the next guy to break the AL Home Run record. Can he do it?

Ohtani certainly has the tools to do it. Sadly, he has struggled to get the ball out of the ballpark since last Friday. But a man of his talent can be dangerous. Therefore, expect some more chances for Ohtani to slug some home runs as the season winds down.

Shohei Ohtani Has Help in the Lineup

Shohei Ohtani has some help in the lineup after the Angels made some deals to give him help following some key injuries to the roster. Significantly, this is important as teams have started intentionally walking Ohtani to avoid allowing him to hit a home run. The Angels traded for CJ Cron, who has the power to back up Ohtani. Now, the Halos hope he can produce the bat they need to prevent teams from pitching around Ohtani. Cron is currently hitting .273 (3 for 11) with one RBI and one run since joining the Angels. However, he has yet to hit a home run.

Cron must step up to give Ohtani more chances at the plate. Likewise, the Angels must stop leaving runners on the basepaths. The Halos left a combined 35 runners on base during the three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then, they left a combined 22 in the three-game set against the Atlanta Braves. But the Angels need some of their best players to return from injury to give Ohtani some help. Luckily, there is hope on the horizon.

The Angels Are in the Playoff Race

The Angels are currently in the playoff race. Therefore, they will have a lot to play for. The Halos entered the day four games behind the Jays for the final wildcard spot in the AL. Yet, they have a lot of work to do with 53 games left to play. Ohtani will have the motivation and will get help soon. Furthermore, Mike Trout is likely to return soon, giving the Angels another power bat. Opposing pitchers are less likely to walk Ohtani if Trout is batting right behind him.

Logan O'Hoppe is also close to returning as he is nearing a rehab assignment. Significantly, he was leading the Angels in home runs before he suffered his injury. The return of these two players will stop teams from casually allowing Ohtani to get on base. Additionally, Anthony Rendon is set to return soon. Having all of these players in the lineup is pivotal to giving Ohtani more chances to do damage and get home runs.

Shohei Ohtani Rules the Statcast

Shohei Ohtani is the king of the statcast this season. Currently, his exit velocity off his hits is at 94.5%, which places him in the top 1% of the league. Ohtani also has a maximum exit velocity of 117.1%, which is again in the top 1% of the league. Moreover, he has an expected batting average of .300 and an expected slugging percentage of .657. Ohtani also has a hard-hit percentage of 54.7.

But let's look at his pace and compare it to Judge. Last year, Judge had 42 home runs entering the month of August, while Ohtani has 39 this season. Ohtani has seven home runs in April and eight in May. Then, he slugged 15 in June and nine in July. Ohtani needs 23 home runs to tie Judge and 24 to break the record. Therefore, he would need to average 12 home runs per month over the final two months to break the mark.

There are plenty of chances to do this, as Ohtani has road games at Citi Field and Citizens Bank Park. Additionally, he also will face the Oakland Athletics six more times. Expect Ohtani to start slugging the baseball and making a case for threatening the record, especially as the season draws to a close.