Aaron James Judge is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Have a look.
Aaron Judge : Yankees | Home runs | Stats | Contract
Judge, who played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs, was selected by the Yankees with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft.
| Aaron Judge | |
| Born: April 26, 1992 Linden, California |
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Bats: Right
Throws: Right
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After making his MLB debut in 2016 and hitting a home run in his first MLB career at bat, Judge went on to have a record-breaking rookie season in 2017.
He was named an All-Star and won the Home Run Derby, becoming the first MLB rookie to do so.
Judge ended the season with 52 home runs, breaking Mark McGwire’s MLB rookie record of 49 and the Yankees’ full-season rookie record of 29 (previously held by Joe DiMaggio).
His rookie record would stand for two more years when Pete Alonso broke it in 2019 with 53 home runs.
He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Month Awards for April, May, June, and September, as well as the AL’s Player of the Month Award for June and September, and then again for May of 2022.
Judge stands 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall and weighs 282 pounds (128 kg), which makes him one of the largest players in MLB.
Aaron Judge Yankees
Judge made his MLB debut on August 13, 2016, starting in right field against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In his first MLB at-bat, Judge hit a home run off Matt Andriese; the previous batter, Tyler Austin, also making his MLB debut, had done the same.
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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This marked the first time that two teammates had hit home runs in their first MLB career at bats in the same game.
Judge also hit a home run in his second MLB game, becoming the second Yankees player (after Joe Lefebvre in 1980) to homer in each of his first two MLB games.
Judge’s debut season, in which he batted .179 and struck out 42 times in 84 at-bats (95 plate appearances), ended prematurely when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a grade two right oblique strain on September 13, 2016, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Prior to the 2022 New York Yankees season, Judge was unsuccessful in negotiating a long-term contract with the Yankees.
General manager Brian Cashman told ESPN that the team offered Judge $17 million in arbitration and a $213.5 million, seven-year extension. Judge had not made his COVID-19 vaccination status known. Cashman refused to comment on whether this affected the negotiations.
Judge avoided salary arbitration and signed a one-year, $19 million contract on June 24, with additional $250,000 bonuses for winning each of the MVP Award and the World Series MVP Award.
Aaron judge home runs
Slugging 44 homers through 109 team games puts Judge on pace to hit 64 home runs this season (63.9, to be exact).
Here is the MLB home run leaderboard as of today :
- Aaron Judge, Yankees: 44
- Kyle Schwarber, Phillies: 34
- Yordan Alvarez, Astros: 30
- Austin Riley, Braves: 29
- Pete Alonso, Mets: 29
There is some wonderful symmetry in Judge’s pursuit of Maris’ AL home run record. Maris hit 61 homers 61 years ago in 1961. He also wore No. 9. Judge wears No. 99.
“I try not to, but people keep asking me that question,” Judge told our Matt Snyder at the All-Star Game when asked whether he thinks about chasing 60 homers. “… I might have a better answer at the end of the year if it happens.
If I get to that point, we can talk about it. Until then, it’s just so hard. We’re only halfway through. Only being halfway there, it’s tough to talk about.”
Stats
“Aaron Judge, I think, is the best player on the planet right now,” Matt Carpenter told The News on Friday.
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Year
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Team
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AB
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R
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H
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RBI
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BB
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Avg
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2022
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NYY
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403
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93
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122
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98
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58
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.303
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2021
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NYY
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550
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89
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158
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98
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75
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.287
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2020
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NYY
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101
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23
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26
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22
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10
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.257
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2019
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NYY
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378
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75
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103
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55
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64
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.272
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2018
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NYY
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413
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77
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115
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67
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76
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.278
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2017
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NYY
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542
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128
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154
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114
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127
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.284
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2016
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NYY
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84
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10
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15
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10
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9
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.179
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Career
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2,471
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495
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693
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464
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419
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.280
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“I watch him. I get a front-row seat to it. I’ve joked, he reminds me of the 14-year-old that lied on his birth certificate to play in the Little League World Series. He’s in another league, he’s that good.”
So Judge left St. Louis with the same home run total as he arrived with: a major-league leading 44 homers, in 109 team games. That’s still nine ahead of anyone else in the bigs.
That’s still on an incredible pace. But with 53 games left, Judge’s chances of catching Barry Bonds’ record of 73 home runs in a season are very slim. At the moment, even with all his incredible feats of strength this year, he’s “only” on a 64-homer pace.
Contract
Judge is playing the 2022 season on a one-year, $19 million contract.
The 30-year-old turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract offer from the Yankees before the 2022 season, deciding to bet on himself in hopes of signing an even larger deal in free agency.
Taking that chance has paid off for Judge as he’ll likely be an American League MVP candidate this year. Through 102 games, he’s hitting .298/.386/.676 with 43 home runs, 93 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
Judge’s production has helped vault the Yankees into first place in the AL East with a 70-36 record, and the club looks primed to make a deep playoff run, perhaps ending with a World Series title.
In May, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that Judge, if he remained healthy, would likely command a contract worth at least $300 million this winter.