For the second-straight year, Aaron Judge of the Yankees has been ranked as MLB Network's top right fielder in baseball. And this time, he topped the reigning MVP.
Judge took the honors over Mookie Betts of the Red Sox even though Betts tore up the sport in 2018, hitting .346/.438/.640 with 32 homers, 47 doubles, and 30 stolen bases in 136 games, while continuing to be one of the best defensive right fielders in the game.
Like Betts, Judge was limited by injury in 2018. He played in just 112 games due to a broken wrist, hitting .278/.392/.528 with 27 homers and 22 doubles, and six steals.
The MLB Network rankings take into account player performance over the last two seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, advanced statcast data, traditional stats, and "expert analysis by the MLB Network research team," which can help explain why Judge was ranked over Betts.
Over the last two seasons, Judge has hit .282/.409/.584 with 79 homers and 46 doubles in 267 games.
During that same span, Betts has hit .301/.388/.541 with 56 homers and 93 doubles in 289 games.
"Judge will hit elite pitching. He will turn around anybody -- the nastiest stuff," MLB Network's Brian Kenny said while debating the ranking with Cliff Floyd, who preferred Betts. "And also, he will take balls right out of the outfield and bring them back into the field of play in playoff games and steal home runs."