Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge have dominated the MVP voting over the past two years. Ohtani won the award in 2021, while Judge earned the 2022 AL MVP. Judge is having a strong season in 2023 despite currently dealing with an injury. However, Ohtani is leading the early stages of AL MVP voting, per MLB.com.

Shohei Ohtani leads the AL MVP race with 23 votes. Meanwhile, Judge earned 12 votes. Rounding out the top five in the AL are Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays, Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers, and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays.

However, the race is expected to be between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani this season. Fans are already reacting to the AL MVP debate between these two superstars.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are both playing well in 2023 for the most part. However, there are concerns with both players as well. As mentioned earlier, Judge is dealing with an injury. Meanwhile, Ohtani has struggled on the mound for the Angels.

Pitching wise, Ohtani owns a respectable 3.32 ERA. His main problem on the mound has been in terms of control. Ohtani's already struck out an impressive 102 hitters, but has also walked 34. He leads the league in both hit batters and wild pitches. His 11.1 percent walk rate has increased from 6.7 percent in 2022.

Offensively, Ohtani has been fantastic once again though. He's currently slashing .291/.362/.593 with a .955 OPS and league-leading 20 home runs.

Aaron Judge, on the other hand, is slashing .291/.404/.674 with a 1.078 OPS and 19 home runs in just 49 games. His slugging and OBP lead the league, and he only trails Ohtani in home runs.

If Judge can return and stay healthy, the AL MVP race projects to be highly competitive down the stretch once agin.