Aaron Judge Leads the Yankees with Historic Season on the Horizon
As the captain of the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge is no stranger to the spotlight, but his current season is nothing short of historic. With 31 games remaining, Judge is turning in a performance that is leaving both fans and analysts in awe.
As of August 26, Judge's remarkable line of .333/.465/.736 includes a league-leading 51 home runs and 122 RBIs. He also tops the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and Wins Above Replacement (WAR). These are not just impressive stats; they're the kind that define careers.
Judge's trajectory this season is setting him on a path of achieving feats that only a handful of players have reached. He is projected to conclude the season with 101 extra-base hits and 418 total bases, entering a very exclusive club. To put this into perspective, only 15 players have recorded 100 extra-base hits in a season, and just 29 have reached 400 total bases. Accomplishing both in a single season has been done only 13 times.
Judge has also been on fire recently, homering seven times in his last six games and 19 times over his last 36 games. If he maintains this pace, he is on track to hit 63 home runs this season, surpassing the 52 homers he smashed in his rookie season in 2017 and even outdoing the 62 home runs he hit in 2022.
But it’s not just about home runs for Judge. His overall batting performance displays a mature, well-rounded hitter. While he striking out at a rate of 23.4%, slightly above the MLB average of 22.4%, it’s a significant improvement from his 30.7% strikeout rate in 2017 and 25.1% in 2022. This indicates a refined approach at the plate. His on-base percentage in at-bats that do not culminate in home runs stands at an impressive .413, combined with a state-line of .250.
Manager Aaron Boone is running out of superlatives for his star player, “I'm kinda running out of words to say. You're witnessing greatness. You really are. He's just kinda better than everyone.”
This sentiment is shared by many who recognize that Judge is not just having a great season; he’s putting together a season for the ages. His OPS in the 106 games following April 23 stands at a staggering 1.328, a far cry from his early season struggles where his batting line was just .174/.308/.337 by April 23.
Historically, Judge’s season is drawing comparisons to some of the greatest ever. Only Jimmie Foxx and Rogers Hornsby have had multiple seasons with an OPS+ over 200 among right-handed hitters. Judge had a 210 OPS+ in 2022, putting him amongst elite company.
Despite these individual accolades, Judge remains focused on team success. “I got to this point trying to be a good hitter and a good teammate, so that’s what I’m going to try to do. I feel like if I can do that, we can look up at the end of the year, and I think the numbers will be where they’re supposed to be,” Judge remarked.
What makes Judge’s season even more extraordinary is that he has had the platoon advantage in only 26% of his plate appearances, meaning he’s putting up these supernatural numbers without the consistent benefit of facing the opposite-handed pitchers.
In a sport where comparisons to legends are frequent, Aaron Judge is carving out his own niche. This season, he’s not just meeting expectations but redefining them. Each game, each at-bat, adds another chapter to what is an already phenomenal career, and the baseball world watches, captivated by his every move.