BALTIMORE — As April 2024 came to an end, Aaron Judge found himself in the throes of unfamiliar struggles.
With the Yankees in Baltimore for a highly-contested series against the Orioles, Judge owned a .207/.340/.414 slash line after 31 games. Yeah, he had six home runs and 18 RBI at that point, but his production lacked enough by the end of that series that Aaron Boone was asked about a potential lineup change for the three-hitter.
It sounds silly in retrospect, as Judge enjoyed the greatest season ever for a right-handed hitter in 2024, slashing .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs, 144 RBI and a 218 wRC+. The performance earned him his second MVP award in unanimous fashion.
Still, Judge, who went on to struggle in the 2024 postseason, was determined to have a better start this season. Boy did he.
With another series in Baltimore over and the calendar turning to May, Judge capped an April of absurd proportions with a two-run homer in the Yankees’ 5-4 loss on Wednesday. The first-inning bomb — a 426-foot shot to center that had teammates bowing in the Yankees’ dugout — was part of a 3-for-3 night.
By the end of it, Judge was hitting .427 with a 1.282 OPS, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and 263 wRC+ after 31 games. Meanwhile, he extended an on-base streak to 27 games and a hitting streak to 11 games.
“This guy’s unbelievable, man,” Yankees starter Carlos Carrasco said afterward, voicing the thoughts of everyone who has laid eyes on Judge this season.
Aaron Judge in his last 162 games:
.366 AVG / .492 OBP / .773 SLG
64 HR, 162 RBI, 142 R, 133 BB, 210 H, 37 2B, 12 SBIt’s completely ridiculous.pic.twitter.com/N1DuQmVJWI
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 30, 2025
The Yankees’ captain now leads the league or is tied for the lead in just about every relevant offensive category, including hits, home runs, RBI, average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, fWAR, wRC+ and xwOBA. Judge is putting up numbers that would be unrealistic for a video game, yet Aaron Boone claimed he’s not even on fire on Tuesday.
“He’s continued to become a better hitter,” the manager said. “And I say this, I’m not being cute or funny: honestly, I don’t think he’s really been that hot yet. Honestly. He’s getting his hits, and I think it’s a credit to just how great he is. But when he gets really going, he starts hitting balls in the seats routinely that, you know, buckle up.”
Judge, always resistant to discussing his own greatness, tried to avoid questions about his triumphant start on Tuesday.
He claims he doesn’t look at his stats until the season is over, as he wants to “block out the past and focus on the situation at hand.”
“You just gotta go up there with confidence no matter what,” Judge continued. “I felt the same even when I was hitting .170 last year and you guys were asking all the questions about when are you going to turn it around. So I can’t focus on results. You gotta focus on the process and trying to get a job done. If you do that for 500 at-bats, good things are going to happen.”
Judge is only 117 at-bats into his 2025 season. But with an average that nearly matched Wednesday’s date, some are wondering just how exceptional Judge can be this year.
For example, could he hit .400 over a full season, something that hasn’t been accomplished since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941?
“As I always say with him, I’m not gonna put anything past him,” Boone said. “But .400? I’m not gonna put anything past Aaron Judge, but .400?”
That would truly be something, especially with pitchers being better than ever in the modern era.
There’s still a lot of baseball left to play for a pursuit of .400 to become a real talking point. For now, Boone will simply imagine what it’s like to be Judge as he sits back and watches what is shaping up to be another phenomenal season.
“He’s like a great three-point shooter at the plate right now,” the skipper said, noting that the NBA’s best can hit at a 43% clip for extended periods. “It’s remarkable.
“I always say we’re running out of superlatives or things to say about it, but what he’s doing, he’s playing a different game.”
