Is The Jury Still Out on Judge?
Judgment Day is Coming
It is hard to ignore the MVP chants that echo around Yankee Stadium every time Aaron Judge steps up to the plate. With one swift swing of his gavel, he has sentenced baseballs to the bleachers at a historic rate this season.
He is still on pace to hit over 60 home runs and pass the franchise record set by Roger Maris, who hit 61 in 1961. With his league-leading 26th and 27th home runs on June 23, the Yankees took yet another series against the Rays and have won 18 out of the last 21 games. He already has six multi-home run games in 67 games played this year, joining Babe Ruth as the only players to accomplish that feat in the first 70 games of a season in franchise history.
The dinger total jumps off the page when looking at Judge’s season, but he has contributed much more and helped guide the team to their MLB-best record of 51-18.
Taking a deeper dive into the numbers, his batting average has stayed above .300 for the majority of the season, currently sitting at .302. He leads the league in slugging percentage at .663 and has an incredible OPS, or on-base plus slugging, of 1.042. In terms of the entire MLB, Judge sits in the top-10 in Wins Above Replacement, second to the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in OPS, first in runs scored, 10th in hits, fourth in RBIs, and fourth in extra base hits. He is the leading All-Star vote-getter in the entire league thus far and shows no signs of slowing down.
For the Yankees, the All-Star break comes after the Red Sox series wraps up on July 17. With 27 home runs already, it is easy to imagine Judge hitting 35 by the break. With teams like the Athletics, Pirates, and Reds sprinkled in before then, it is a real possibility.
The only competition Judge has for this AL MVP bid is Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, who is having a great season himself, leading the American League in RBIs and batting over .300. It will be a tight race as we get into the dog days of summer in the next couple of months, but if anyone can handle the pressure, it is Judge.
Awaiting a Verdict
Before everyone gets too far ahead of themselves, there is still plenty of season left to play. The Yankees are looking like World Series contenders and that has always been the primary goal every year for the greatest franchise in professional sports.
The front office is well aware of Judge’s career year and the price tag that may come with such dominance. It is too early to call him the AL MVP or crown the team as champions, but one can certainly begin to dream. In the post-game interviews, the Yankees’ star will say that he does not focus on personal accolades and just wants to help the team win.
Deep down, Judge knows the opportunities that lie in front of him and what it takes to get the job done. The possibilities are limitless, and the excitement is palpable, but the “fully operational death star” needs to continue firing on all cylinders in order to put the race for 28 to bed.
With free agency right around the corner for Judge, the urgency for the Yankees to reach a deal with the star slugger grows. As Billy Joel once said, “life is a series of hellos and goodbyes,” but the Yankees and their fanbase hope they aren’t saying goodbye to him come 2023.