As Aaron Judge discussed the Yankees’ loss to the Dodgers in the World Series, the superstar said that the experience “will stick with me until I die.”
Judge didn’t perform particularly well in the World Series or playoffs, hitting .184 with three home runs and nine RBI overall. He also dropped an easy line drive in Game 5 of the Fall Classic, sparking a disastrous fifth inning in the Yankees’ last loss of the season.
At one point, earlier in the World Series, Judge said that he felt like he was letting his team down. It was an unfamiliar position for the Yankees’ captain, as he carried the club throughout the regular season.
Those pre-playoff efforts will be recognized on Thursday night, as Judge is expected to win his second American League MVP Award in a landslide. Juan Soto, baseball’s most coveted free agent after hitting in front of Judge all season, and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. are also finalists.
Only six players have previously won two MVPs with the Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. Mantle, Berra and DiMaggio all won three in pinstripes, meaning Judge could join an even smaller club before his career ends.
“It’s crazy to think about,” Judge told the Daily News at the end of the regular season. “I love playing this game, but I never thought I’d be in the likes of some of baseball’s all-time greatest players and all-time great Yankees. So it’s tough to put into words, to be honest.”
Judge, who won his first MVP in 2022 after resetting the AL home run record with 62 dingers, had an arguably better season in 2024. The 32-year-old led all of his peers in home runs (58), RBI (144), walks (133), OBP (.458), slugging (.701), OPS (1.159), wRC+ (218), wOBA (.476) and fWAR (11.2). He did all that at the plate while playing center field full time to accommodate Soto.
“We’re watching a historically great player,” Aaron Boone said in September.
“What he was able to do this year is something that we haven’t seen from a right-handed hitter maybe in the history of the game,” added Yankees hitting coach James Rowson.
Rowson is correct, as no righty has ever finished a season with a higher wRC+ than Judge. Only Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds have posted better marks.
As miraculous as Judge’s 2024 campaign was — in addition to his 2022 and Rookie of the Year-winning 2017 seasons — Brian Cashman wondered if poor health has robbed Judge of more comparable years.
“I feel like we’ve been denied similar-type seasons potentially from him because some of those seasons got cut short with injury,” the general manager said. “It just seems like whenever he’s playing, he’s operating at such a superhuman level, stuff that we have not seen before. And so it’s a pleasure to call him ours, call him captain, and having him lead us. But wow, it’s a great gift for our fans to watch what’s currently a living legend.”
Teammates view Judge’s offensive prowess in a similar manner.
Take Anthony Rizzo, for example. The free agent first baseman told The News that he always congratulates Judge whenever he reaches a round number or milestone, even if it’s something as mundane as 30 homers.
“I know it’s not easy,” said Rizzo, one of Judge’s closest friends on the Yankees the last few years. “It’s going to be amazing years down the road to say I was part of this, because he is doing things that are very rare in this game.”
Then there’s Giancarlo Stanton, who knows what it’s like to put up MVP numbers for an entire season. He won the National League award in 2017 when he bashed 59 home runs for the Marlins.
“It’s extremely hard,” Stanton told The News of sustaining such production, “and [Judge] makes it look easy. So people almost take it for granted how good he is, how good he’s been, as if it’s the norm. But it’s not the norm. It’s not normal.”
Stanton said that Judge’s improved plate discipline — something he got away from in the playoffs — and ability to put the ball in the air more fueled his spectacular season. The numbers back that up, as Judge’s 18.9 BB% was his highest ever over a full healthy season, as was his 46.2% flyball rate (he had higher percentages in 2023 but missed two months with a toe injury).
Judge’s 18.7% chase rate was also the lowest of his career.
“You make really good pitches against him, you can get him out. But he’s not going to chase,” Boone said before praising Judge’s power. “If you make a mistake, you’re getting a new ball.”
Rizzo, meanwhile, marveled at Judge’s career-high average. After all, not many 6-7, 282-pound sluggers hit .322.
“He’s the whole package,” Rizzo said, noting that big league pitching is as good as it’s ever been.
What made Judge’s regular season all the more impressive is that he essentially gave the rest of the league a one-month head start.
While he still had six homers and a .331 OBP, Judge hit just .197 over his first 33 games. Some wondered if something was wrong with the All-Star, and he was repeatedly peppered with questions about his swing and health after missing some time with an abdominal issue in spring training.
“As a leader on this team, you gotta take some hits,” Judge said. “You gotta be the one. I’d rather have people yelling at me, booing me, than booing a teammate. So I’ll take that load anytime. And I think the most important thing was we were in first place. So that’s kind of what makes it a lot easier.”
Judge felt that his timing was off in April, so he made a few mechanical adjustments at the plate, including the adoption of a slightly closed off stance.
What followed was an all-time 125-game stretch that saw Judge hit .357/.492/.787 with 52 homers and 126 RBI.
“I’m always tweaking,” said Judge, who also mentioned that he benefited from watching Soto work at-bats all season. “I’ve been changing things all the way since my rookie year, and I think it’s just a lot of people don’t notice it, but they want to notice that because some good things happened.”
Judge added that he hopes to improve “in a couple different areas. Hopefully, I’m improving until I’m 40 years old and they rip the jersey away from me.”
At this point, there’s not much Judge can get better at offensively. With him about to join some elite Yankees company, the biggest thing missing from his résumé is a championship.
Judge missed that opportunity in 2024. Before doing so, Boone acknowledged that “winning it all would certainly add a level to his legacy.”
Judge knows that to be true, as he’s well aware that Yankees greats are judged on rings, not personal accolades.
“I want to win,” he said. “That’s why I play. It’s why I try to make improvements and put this team in the best position every single year. It’s about winning a World Series.
“Some people win them early in their career. Some people win them in the middle of their career. Some people win them at the very end of their career. So there’s a lot of unknown, but that’s what kind of motivates me every single year to go out there.”
