Aaron Judge
| Born | April 26 1992 |
|---|---|
| Position | Outfielder |
| Bats | Right |
| Throw | Right |
| Team | New York Yankees |
| Debut | August 13 2016 for Yankees |
A five-time MLB All-Star, Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017, and finished second in voting for the AL Most Valuable Player Award that year. In 2022, he set the AL record for most home runs in a season with 62, breaking the 61-year-old record held by Roger Maris, and winning the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Judge stands 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall and weighs 282 pounds (128 kg), making him one of the largest and tallest players in MLB.
Judge played college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs, and the Yankees selected him with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. After making his MLB debut in 2016 and hitting a home run in his first major league at bat, Judge went on to have a record-breaking rookie season in 2017. He was named an All-Star, won the Home Run Derby (the first MLB rookie to do so), and hit 52 home runs, breaking Mark McGwire's MLB rookie record of 49 and Joe DiMaggio's Yankee full-season rookie record of 29. His rookie record stood for two years, until Pete Alonso hit 53 home runs in 2019. Judge won the 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. After the 2022 season, he re-signed with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract and was subsequently named the team's captain.
Before 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 seven-year extension worth $213.5 million. 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.
On July 30, Judge became the second-fastest player in history to hit his 200th career home run (behind Ryan Howard), launching a two-run shot off of Jon Heasley of the Kansas City Royals. On August 29, during a game against the Los Angeles Angels, Judge hit a home run off reliever Ryan Tepera. He became only the tenth player in Major League Baseball history (and third player in Yankees franchise history) to record multiple 50 home run seasons.
Judge hit his 55th home run during the first game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on September 7 off rookie starting pitcher Louie Varland. He became the fourth player in MLB history to hit 55-plus home runs and steal 15-plus bases in a single season, joining Babe Ruth (1921), Sammy Sosa (1998), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1997–98) on the all-time list. Ninety-five years after Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in a season, Judge became the third MLB player in American League (AL) history to hit 60 home runs in one season. His blast to left field was off Wil Crowe of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium on September 20, 2022. He also became the fastest Yankee to accomplish this feat, doing so in 147 games.
On September 28, Judge hit his 61st home run off Tim Mayza of the Toronto Blue Jays, tying Roger Maris for the most home runs in a single season in American League history. Judge hit his 62nd home run off Jesús Tinoco of the Texas Rangers on October 4, setting the new single-season American League home run record. Some consider Judge's mark of 62 home runs to also be the legitimate Major League single-season record, as the only players with more home runs in a single season (Barry Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire) have all been tied to use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Judge Home Run No.62
Aaron Judge is the American League single season home run leader, the AL King, CASE CLOSED!
In 2022, Judge led the major leagues with 62 home runs, 133 runs scored, 131 RBIs (tied with Pete Alonso of the Mets), and 111 walks, and batted .311/.425/.686 with 177 hits, 28 doubles, and 19 intentional walks, while stealing 16 bases in 19 attempts. He played 78 games in center field, 73 games in right field, and 25 games as a designated hitter.
