After Aaron Judge set a then-MLB rookie record with 52 home runs in 2017, it seemed reasonable to think that might be his career peak. The same assumption was made when he broke the American League single-season home run record in 2022 with 62 homers. Yet, in 2024, he could be having an even better all-around season. Through 111 games, he boasts a .322 batting average, 41 home runs, 103 RBIs, 92 walks, a .456 on-base percentage, 1.157 OPS, and 219 OPS+. He leads the Majors in all these stats except for batting average, where he ranks third.
Even his former manager, Joe Girardi, is amazed at how Judge has continued to improve over eight MLB seasons. Now part of the YES Network broadcast team, Girardi witnessed Judge hitting a 2-1 fastball from Yariel Rodriguez into centerfield for a base hit against the Blue Jays over the weekend. The ball left his bat at 104.4 mph. “I mean, I don’t think he had the ability when he first came up to necessarily hit a fastball down and away for a line drive over the second baseman’s head like he did,” Girardi said. “But he does now, and you’re like, ‘Come on, man. Really?’”
Aaron Judge has evolved as a Yankees slugger
Girardi, who managed the Yankees from 2008-17, recognized Judge’s potential early on. Judge broke into the Majors in 2016, hitting just .179 in 27 games, but homered in his first MLB at-bat. “I remember how respectful he was and then just watching him hit, how the ball jumped off his bat,” Girardi recalled to Erik Boland of Newsday. “I remember thinking, ooh, this could be something.”
Girardi quickly realized he was right. Judge hit .303 with 10 home runs the following April to start his historic rookie season. Despite his power at the plate, he still had weaknesses, striking out a league-high 208 times as breaking pitches continued to fool him.