Aaron Judge Somehow Just Keeps Getting Better

Forbes

23-05-2025

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge hits a ground-rule double during the first inning of a baseball game ... More against the New York Mets Sunday, May 18, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Aaron Judge has already reached the highest pinnacle of individual achievement as a baseball player, having completed two of the greatest seasons in baseball history. Now he's putting a stepladder on top of Mount Everest by somehow playing even better.
If you name any important statistic for a baseball player, chances are Judge leads the league in it. He's hitting .396/.486/.743 this year—all of which are the best marks in MLB, as is his 3.8 WAR (Baseball-Reference version). He leads the league in hits (74), home runs (16), runs batted in (44), runs scored (45), and total bases (139), among other stats. His 245 OPS+ indicates his offensive output is a whopping 145% better than the league average.
Let's contextualize his incredible numbers. His .396 batting average is the highest in a season since before baseball was integrated in 1947, and would be the best in the American or National Leagues since Ted Williams batted .406 in 1941. The only players who have topped his .486 on-base percentage since 1947 are Barry Bonds and Juan Soto, who did it in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. His .743 slugging percentage is the best by a right-handed hitter since Mark McGwire's .752 in 1998.
Those numbers will likely come down as the season progresses. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is a ludicrous .472, and the all-time record is .423, set by Babe Ruth in 1923. This shows his otherworldly production probably isn't sustainable. Then again, we're used to seeing him accomplish the impossible.
As of right now, Judge is on pace for 245 hits this year, including 53 home runs. The only player in the last 95 years with that many hits in a season was Ichiro Suzuki, who notched 262 in 2004, but with just eight home runs. Amassing as many hits as Judge while staying on pace for more than 50 home runs and over 100 walks is unprecedented—the most walks in a season by anyone with 245 hits or more was 76 by Lefty O'Doul in 1929.
If Judge keeps this up, he's on pace to finish the year with 12.6 WAR. For context, he had 10.8 WAR when he blasted 62 home runs in 2022 and 10.8 again last year when he belted 58, and he won the American League MVP both times. The only player in history with three or more 10.8 WAR seasons is Ruth.
Judge is already a member of an exclusive list with Ruth. They are two of the only five hitters in MLB history with three 50 homer seasons, along with Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa. If he reaches that plateau again this year, he'll tie Rodriguez, Ruth, and Sosa for the record by hitting 50 four times.
Ruth also holds the single-season record for total bases with 457 in 1921, and Judge is putting it in jeopardy. He is on pace for 460 this year after collecting a career-high 392 in 2024.
One of the keys to Judge's unbelievable improvement has been his reduced strikeouts. He's fanning an average of once per game, and his strikeout rate of 22.1% is just shade above the MLB average of 21.9%—not bad for someone who struck out 208 times in his rookie year.
It's worth noting that he's also accruing more value on defense than in recent years. After spending significant time in center field from 2021-2024, he's exclusively playing his natural position of right field this season. He has been a neutral defender this year with 0 Defensive Runs Saved, whereas he was worth -8 last year.
Many players start to slow down in the year they turn 33, but not Aaron Judge. After having smashed so many records already, he's redefining what's possible in a batter's box.