Aaron Judge smashed 52 home runs in 2017, breaking the then-MLB rookie record, and one might be forgiven for believing the Yankees outfielder had already had his best season.
The same could be said for 2022, when he set the American League single-season home run record with 62 home runs.
However, in 2024, he might have an even stronger all-around season. He’s batting in 111 games thus far.322 with 41 home runs, 103 RBI, 92 walks, a.456 on-base percentage, 1.157 OPS, and 219 OPS+. He leads the Major Leagues in all of these measures except batting average, where he is third.
Even his previous manager, Joe Girardi, is impressed with Judge’s continued development over the course of eight MLB seasons. Girardi, who is now a member of the YES Network broadcast team, was in the booth when Judge smacked a 2-1 fastball from Yariel Rodriguez into centerfield for a base single against the Blue Jays last 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 told reporters afterwards. “But he does now, and you say, ‘Come on, man. Really?'”
Girardi, who managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, realized from away that Judge had the ability to be great. The Yankees skipper made his Major League debut in 2016, hitting.179 in 27 games but homering in his first MLB at bat, as expected.
“I remember how respectful he was and then just watching him hit, how the ball jumped off his bat,” Girardi told Newsday’s Erik Boland. “I remember thinking, ooh, this could be something.”
Girardi realized shortly that he was correct. The following April, Judge hit.303 with 10 home runs to begin his historic rookie season. Despite his devastating performance at the plate, he was not without flaws. Judge struck out 208 times, a league high, as breaking pitches continued to deceive him.
That terrifying concept may be why clubs are again choosing not to pitch to Judge. In three games against Toronto over the weekend, the Jays deliberately walked him four times and pitched around him twice. Of course, he still managed to hit two home runs in the series.
