Aaron Judge and his Continued Dominance across the League
Just two weeks ago, Aaron Judge was good, some might even say really good; however, in just two short weeks, he is now what some might call incredible.
Since my last article, Judge has amassed an additional six home runs, bringing his season total to 59, which also brings him ever closer to that threshold of 61, which would tie Roger Maris’ American League single-season home run record.
He currently leads the major’s home run rankings by a whopping 20 home runs. His home run tear has certainly excited fans, as home runs are arguably one of the most exciting things about the game of baseball. Everyone loves to see a player absolutely crush a ball out of the ballpark, and thus far this season, Aaron Judge has most certainly delivered on that idea.
Two weeks ago, people were talking about his dominance in the area of home runs. Now, they are talking about his dominance all across the board. Judge now leads the majors in nine different batting metrics, and while some of them may carry less weight than others, the sheer amount of them is astounding for him to hold at this point in the season.
In addition to all this grandeur, he also is sitting right around second in the majors for batting average. If he manages to grab this title, along with continuing to hold the title for most home-runs and most hits through the end of the season, he will grab the title of triple crown.
This award is not something that comes by all too often; the most recent Triple Crown winner was Miguel Cabrera back in the 2012 season, and before him, it was back in 1967.
With this potential, there also is the potential for the title of American League Most Valuable Player at the end of the season. The other main contender for this award thus far is Shohei Ohtani, the reigning winner of the AL MVP award.
What sets Ohtani apart is his prowess not only as a batter, but also as a pitcher. While Judge might not possess this same ability, he certainly can make up for it with his raw power behind the plate.
The potential for this home run record is so historic in Yankees fan culture that there has been talk about Roger Maris’ two sons, Roger Jr. and Kevin coming down to the Bronx starting Tuesday to watch the last few home games the Yankees have of the regular season to see if Judge can achieve this historic record right at home.
With all of his success this season up to this point, people are calling for the Yankees ownership to resign Judge to a longer-term contract now more than ever.
His gamble for a larger contract, as mentioned in my previous article, appears to have most certainly paid off, as he has certainly “stepped up to the plate” when it has come to performance for the team in this historic year of his.