Who Has the Better Career: Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger?

At this point, it seems inevitable that Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger will be named the Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues. But who ends up with the better career?

Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge are likely to be linked together throughout their careers. Despite playing on opposite coasts, and in different leagues, the presumptive Rookies of the Year have seen their careers take off at the same time. It is possible that the duo are the Mike Trout and Bryce Harper of this season, players who will be judged against one another during their time as a professional player.

While both players have yet to finish their first full season in the majors, it is human nature to wonder which player will end up with the better career. There are certainly similarities in their profile as they made their way through the minors, although Bellinger was ranked no lower than 26th heading into this season. Judge, while he barely got into the top 100 in each of the three major prospect lists, had been a top prospect for the past three seasons.

It is easy to look at Judge and claim the latest Yankees superstar is a Three True Outcome player. After all, he does lead the American League in home runs, walks, and strikeouts. However, he is far more than a slugger, turning those walks into a league leading 115 runs. Judge has even chipped in eight steals, picking his spots to make the opposition pay for giving him that free pass.

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Although Bellinger is not leading the league in any category, he is still having an excellent year. Despite spending the first three weeks in the minors, he still ranks second in the National League with 38 homers. He has produced a solid .275/.360/.611 batting line, and like Judge, has displayed some surprising speed. In his 13 attempts, Bellinger has stolen ten bases.

There are concerns with both players as well. Judge has slowed down in the second half, and had a stretch of 37 consecutive games with a strikeout, tying pitcher Bill Stoneman for the major league record. During that time, he had a .178/.337/.370 batting line with seven homers, and was even given a few games off to clear his head.

Bellinger, while not quite the prolific strikeout machine as Judge, has still struck out 128 times in his 118 games. His strikeouts have tended to come in bunches, with 13 games with three or more whiffs. He also has a bit more positional flexibility than Judge, playing at first, left, and right for the Dodgers this season.

Next: Who has the better career: Hoskins or Olson?

The debate as to who one would rather have, Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger, will likely last for years to come. Their performance this year may just be setting the stage for one of the great baseball debates for the next decade.