When all is said and done, Aaron Judge will have the greatest single season anyone has put together in MLB history.
And no, it’s not a prisoner of the times the reaction. Or excessive hype.
This will be about facts, not feelings.
In a word, it’s hard to hit a baseball. The average batting average has dropped to 0.244, the lowest since 1968 – the pitcher’s year.
It’s very difficult to beat MLB after that season to give the players a fighting chance.
Now, more use, new painkillers, and people throwing over 100 mph have reduced the likelihood of hitting. Also, The defensive shift took many shots on target.
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Despite it all, Judge, the slugger of the New York Yankees, can still be as brilliant as anyone we’ve ever seen.
Judge will simply have all the numbers as proof-positive. And in baseball, stats reign supreme more than any other sport.
On Wednesday night, Judge took another step toward a memorable season when he beat the Blue Jays in Toronto. It was his 61st game of the season, marking Roger Maris’ American League scoring record for most home players in a season.
Judge has seven games left to take another game home and call his own record.
That alone won’t make it the best season ever. After all, other players have scored more home goals in a single season, including Barry Bonds’ 73 home games in 2001. The MLB Book of Records calls that a record. Even Judge called it a beatable record. It’s hard to argue with that.
But Judge will do more than lead the game when it comes to running home. His season is bigger and deeper than that. Judge will lead the league in almost every offensive genre. That is an amazing feat.
As of today, Judge is the leader of the Triple Crown in AL. He leads in HRs (61), RBI (130), and BA (.313).
The last Triple Crown winner was Miguel Cabrera in 2012. If Judge wins it, it would be the third time since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967. It’s nearly impossible to do. Only 14 players have done it since 1876. Plus, Judge can set a home run record in the same season.
But wait a minute! With a week to go until the season kicks off, Judge also leads the league in Win over Substitution, Players in WAR, Offensive Combat, Odds on Base, Drop Rate, OPSRecorded Runs, Total Base, Walks, Additional Base Hits, and Times on Base.
To spice up his season for the ages, Judge did it with a terrifying backdrop second to none. There is pressure at every turn.
Before the season began, the Yankees offered Judge a $213 million contract extension. He refused it. And despite his injury history, he’s betting on himself.
Judge also plays for the Yankees, on the sport’s biggest stage. And the pressure to win is huge. No one is impressed by summing up the losing numbers. Worse still, making pointless big hits with the bats.
Judge, 30, worked all season. He has to play for his whole team and financial future. Very few players get to cash out in a big way like this. Normally, $300 million worth of transactions will be made players in their early 20s.
However, there will be some MVP voters who will still vote for Angels ‘Shohei Ohtani. We haven’t seen anyone hit and throw a ball every day since Babe Ruth in her 20s. That is an amazing feat. But he didn’t have the best season. If he takes the lead in Triple Crown and a Cy Young contender, there’s no question.
The other thing that put Ohtani’s season down is that he hasn’t had a meaningful warm-up or pitch moment since May when the Angels’ season officially collapsed and burned.
Judge, on the other hand, has to play important games throughout the season. The Yankees’ didn’t win the AL East until Tuesday night, with nine games remaining in the season. He has no gifts. When Maris beat his 61 hosts, he beat .269. Judge beats that by a mile in an era that is harder to achieve. Thus, Judge will stand alone in the greatness of a season.
