Batting Around: Who has the more exciting home run chase, Albert Pujols or Aaron Judge?

Throughout the season the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed the Dodgers’ closer situation. This week we’re going to tackle two home run chases.

Whose home run chase are you more excited about: Pujols or Judge?

R.J. Anderson: Both are cool, but right now I find myself more excited by Pujols’ chase, in part because it has greater historical significance. One, more players have hit 60 home runs than have hit 700 home runs; and two, it feels like a fitting send-off to one of the best hitters of my lifetime. Pujols has had a rough final stretch of his career, and it would be nice for him to go out in a way that reminds people: yeah, this guy could really play. Him getting to 700, however unlikely it seems, would do just that.

Matt Snyder: This is incredibly difficult. I’m admittedly rooting pretty hard for both. I think I’ll go Judge. Pujols career legacy is already pretty well established and, so long as he passes A-Rod, which is increasingly likely, there isn’t a difference in the career leaderboard between 698, 699 and 700. He’s still going to be fourth all time in home runs. Judge is going after the AL record and we’ve never seen anyone top 61 other than that brief stretch where it was the wild west of PEDs and juiced baseballs. Even putting aside any PED concerns, the run-scoring environment was exponentially better than it is this season, so it would make Judge getting into the 60s that much more impressive than anything many of us have ever seen. I’d like to reiterate that it’s really close and this was simply nitpicking in order to answer instead of copping out and saying both. 

Mike Axisa: I have to go Pujols. We may never see another player approach 700 homers in our lifetime. Who has the best chance among active players? Bryce Harper? He turns 30 in October and isn’t even halfway there (282 career homers). Juan Soto might be the best bet. He hit his 100th homer earlier this year and is still only 23. In theory, we could see someone chase 61 homers again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, etc. With all due respect to Aaron Judge, who is having an incredible season and is chasing a major milestone, I find the Pujols chase more captivating. And as R.J. said, it’s a fitting send-off for an all-time great.