Ex-Cubs Star Anthony Rizzo Names MLB's Best Player - and it's not Shohei Ohtani (Exclusive)

Chicago Cubs legend and 2016 World Series champion Anthony Rizzo named his pick for "the best player in the world," and it's not the obvious answer.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is the consensus best player in baseball. He won back-to-back NL MVP Awards in 2024 and 2025 after helping the Dodgers to consecutive World Series championships, to say nothing of his 2021 and 2023 AL MVP Awards.

But the ex-Cubs star thinks the best player in the game resides in the Big Apple.

During an exclusive interview with Men's Journal, Rizzo talked about his new broadcasting career and shared some mid-season takes on the 2026 MLB campaign. Speaking of his former teammate, the three-time All-Star named New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge the best player in baseball, even over Ohtani.

"The Yankees are deep this year," Rizzo said. "(Their) pitching, their lineup is very, very deep, offensively as well. Judge going down is going to hurt them, but I think they're more built this year, more than ever, to sustain and hold down the fort while he's getting healthy…He's the best player in the world."

Last week, the Yankees announced that Judge had a stress fracture in his right first rib and would be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.

Before his injury, Judge was batting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBI, 42 walks and a .907 OPS. He is trying to become the first player in MLB history to log five seasons of 50-plus homers, sharing the record (four) with Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.

Unfortunately, Judge's rib injury will prevent him from reaching the historic feat this year.

Ohtani isn't having his best season at the plate (a .301 batting average and .938 OPS with 11 homers and 37 RBI). But he's unquestionably having his best season on the mound, boasting a 6-2 record with a ridiculous 0.74 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched.

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani May Meet Again in October

The Yankees (41-26) are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in the American League. The defending champion Dodgers (43-24) are just two games behind the Atlanta Braves for the best record in baseball.

There's plenty of baseball to be played. But with the way both clubs have performed thus far, nobody would be surprised to see a rematch of the 2024 World Series this October.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 12:37 PM.