Sure, Juan Soto has been a great addition for the New York Yankees, but the spotlight once again belongs to captain and star outfielder Aaron Judge. What’s more, we may soon see baseball history again.
The former MVP, now a seasoned veteran at 32 years old, is on an unbelievable hot streak. Judge slugged his MLB-leading 25th home run against Kansas City on Wednesday, his fifth of June and fourth in his last three games. Judge is also batting a robust .309 with a 1.149 OPS and is tied with Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez for the MLB lead in RBIs with 62.
Remember the freak toe injury last year and its continual “constant maintenance” as recently as spring training? Anyone? No? Moving on and, if you look to your left, you’ll see Judge also has a wRC+ of 217.
It’s truly a phenomenal, borderline unheard-of pace for Aaron Judge, especially given his slow start. He was batting just .207 with six homers and 18 RBI through April. It was the most lost he looked in the batter’s box since he was a rookie.
Since May 1, Judge is batting .402 with an eye-popping 1.506 OPS. The Yankees were already playing well while he struggled, and have only strengthened with him.
Watching Aaron Judge this season immediately brings back memories of his MVP season two years ago. Judge was a modern day Roger Maris that year, setting a new American League record with 62 home runs.
Next question: What if Barry Bonds’ mark is his next target?
Granted, that’s a tall order, perhaps even too tall for the 6-foot-7 Judge. Regardless of your stance on who owns the single season home run record, it’s hard to not think about it. Judge had 27 home runs through 69 games in 2022, and ESPN currently projects him to finish with 59.
That’s not a bad number at all, except it’s Aaron Judge. The fact that he’s on this pace at all after such a slow start is incredible in itself.
So, is Aaron Judge going to slug his way to the moon for the rest of the season, shattering both his and Barry Bonds’ individual records? Drumroll, please!
Answer: Probably not. Sorry to disappoint, but it’s the truth.
Let’s start with the obvious reasons. Great as Aaron Judge is, he’s still human just like the rest of us. He sadly doesn’t live in the world of MLB: The Show where the right button mashed at the right time at the exact correct angle can have a hitter average one or two homers a game. His lengthy injury history should also be considered.
That said, Judge has 93 games left. It’s more likely he nears the 60-home run mark and/or ties his own record again this year. Bonds’ tainted record isn’t out of reach, but perhaps it being tainted is exactly why it is?
One way or another, Aaron Judge is playing great baseball. And when Aaron Judge plays great baseball, that usually means he’s hitting a lot of home runs. When Aaron Judge hits a lot of home runs, it’s often hard to get him to stop hitting them. He’s just that dangerous a hitter.
Place your bets, baseball fans, because Aaron Judge seems far from finished.
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