Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are almost certain to be voted the Most Valuable Players of their respective leagues for 2024.
They also — not coincidentally — reign as the scoring leaders of those leagues, according to my final tabulations.
Baseball, as you know, is different from other sports in that it doesn’t have an official scoring race. Fans of basketball, hockey, and football can track the relative ability of various players to put points (or goals) on the board. Baseball fans don’t have the same opportunity.
I devised a scoring stat (abbreviated as SC) to fill this void. The math is simple: Add a batter’s runs scored (R) and runs batted in (RBI), then subtract his home runs (HR). The latter step prevents the double-counting of any run scored (and batted in) by a player who hits a homer.
Here’s an example: Aaron Judge scored 122 runs and drove home 144 for the Yankees. Subtracting his 58 homers yields his SC total of 208, the best in the American League.
Ohtani’s corresponding line for the Dodgers is 134 runs plus 130 RBIs minus 54 home runs. The result is the top SC in the National League (and indeed the majors as a whole), 210.
Look below to see the top 10 scorers in each league.
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1. Aaron Judge, Yankees, R 122 + RBI 144 – HR 58 = SC 208
2. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals, R 125 + RBI 109 – HR 32 = SC 202
3. Juan Soto, Yankees, R 128 + RBI 109 – HR 41 = SC 196
4. Jose Ramirez, Guardians, R 114 + RBI 118 – HR 39 = SC 193
5. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles, R 118 + RBI 92 – HR 37 = SC 173
6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, R 98 + RBI 103 – HR 30 = SC 171
7. Jarren Duran, Red Sox, R 111 + RBI 75 – HR 21 = SC 165
8. Josh Naylor, Guardians, R 84 + RBI 108 – HR 31 = SC 161
9. Brent Rooker, Athletics, R 82 + RBI 112 – HR 39 = SC 155
10. Marcus Semien, Rangers, R 101 + RBI 74 – HR 23 = SC 152
1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers, R 134 + RBI 130 – HR 54 = SC 210
2. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, R 110 + RBI 104 – HR 38 = SC 176
3. Willy Adames, Brewers, R 93 + RBI 112 – HR 32 = SC 173
3. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, R 121 + RBI 74 – HR 22 = SC 173
5. William Contreras, Brewers, R 99 + RBI 92 – HR 23 = SC 168
6. Francisco Lindor, Mets, R 107 + RBI 91 – HR 33 = SC 165
7. Marcell Ozuna, Braves, R 96 + RBI 104 – HR 39 = SC 161
7. Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks, R 90 + RBI 101 – HR 30 = SC 161
9. Elly De La Cruz, Reds, R 105 + RBI 76 – HR 25 = SC 156
10. Brandon Nimmo, Mets, R 88 + RBI 90 – HR 23 = SC 155
10. Jurickson Profar, Padres, R 94 + RBI 85 – HR 24 = SC 155
