Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has taken his game to new heights yet again — a remarkable accomplishment for a man who already stands at 6 ‘ 7’’. The reigning MVP is fresh off a season where he led the league in home runs with 58 and RBIs with 144.
When Judge was called up to the big leagues in 2016, he was a boom-or-bust prospect. Judge had ”light tower power” but struck out at an alarming rate. In his stint at the end of the 2016 season, Judge had 84 at-bats and struck out 42 times.
Judge returned in 2017 and slugged his way to one of the most dominant rookie seasons in baseball history, leading the league with 52 home runs while registering the most walks at 127 and strikeouts with 208. Even though swing and miss was still a large facet of his game, Judge finished second in MVP voting to Jose Alvtuve and took home AL Rookie of the Year honors.
From 2018–2024, the Yankees outfielder smashed 259 home runs to pace the league by over 20 while also walking 557 times — fourth most in the stretch. In 2022, he set the AL single-season home run record; his 62 blasts broke Roger Maris’ 61-year reign at the top of the record books.
Yet, in the same time frame, Judge struck out 959 times, the 11th most in the league over the seven-year stretch. His ability to hit for power and masterfully control the zone disguised the preeminent level of swing and miss within his game.
In the last near-decade, Judge had blossomed into one of the game’s era-defining sluggers who, if he kept up this pace, would find himself enshrined in the halls of Cooperstown when his career is all said and done.
Albeit in a small sample size, in this season’s first 25 games, Judge has already accumulated 2.1 WAR — putting him on pace for over a 13 WAR season — while leading the league in batting average at .415 and RBIs with 26. The greatness does not end there; he leads the league with 39 hits, and his seven home runs are tied for third-most. Judge has also walked 17 times and only racked up 23 strikeouts — on pace for the lowest strikeout total of his career.
According to Baseball Savant, a data website operated by MLB providing advanced statistical analysis, Judge has increased his whiff rate (swing and miss), from 34.9 percent in 2017 to 31.3 percent in 2025. In addition, his chase percentage (swings on pitches outside the strike zone), has fallen from 22.8 percent in 2017 to 18.9 percent in 2025.
On Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, Judge went 2–4 with a triple and a walk as the Yankees went on to win 5–1 and move to 15–10 on the young season.
“Right now, he’s like Tony Gwynn,” Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón, who picked up the win on Wednesday, said regarding Judge’s hot start. “Next week, he’ll probably be like Hank Aaron. This week, we saw a little bit of speed and the hit-ability of Judge. I’m just surprised when he gets out.”
Last April, Judge struggled; hitting .220 with six home runs while striking out 32 times. Despite that, he remarkably rebounded to run away with the AL MVP. In a game full of ups and downs, the 32-year-old knows his season could flip at a moment’s notice.
“Hitting it where they’re not, making contact,” Judge said on his early season success. “It’s baseball, you’re going to have that. You guys will be talking to me in June or we have a tough month, I’m going to tell you the same thing. It’s just about trying to keep everything simple. Not trying to do too much.”
