If you needed another reason as to why Aaron Judge might be the greatest hitter of this generation, here you go.
The New York Yankees’ slugger currently leads the American League in batting average (.427), home runs (10, tied), and RBI (32). He’s the only player in the designated hitter era (since 1973) to lead the AL in all three Triple Crown categories entering May.
The last player to lead in all three categories heading into May was Bobby Darwin of the Minnesota Twins in 1972 (.439 BA, 5 HR, 15 RBI).
In addition to his race toward the Triple Crown, no AL player before 2025 had ever collected 50 hits, reached base 70 times, or recorded 85 total bases in a single season before May. Judge has accomplished all three this season.
The 33-year-old is on pace to win his third MVP award in the last four years, and after one month of play, he has the Yankees atop the AL East.
The Yankees are currently 18-13 with a 1.5-game lead over the second-place Boston Red Sox..
According to Fox Sports, Judge is the favorite to win the AL MVP award this season, sitting at -599. The next closest is Bobby Witt Jr., at +900.
The two-time MVP also leads the AL in runs (29), slugging (.761), on-base percentage (.521), and OPS (1.282). He leads the AL in those categories and MLB in batting average, hits, RBI, home runs, slugging, on-base percentage, and OPS.
This may not be directly correlated to his early-season surge of success, but he changed his batting stance this season. He used to stand in the right-hander’s batter’s box with an open stance, and when the pitch was on its way, Judge would load with a small leg kick.
He now starts more closed, which gives him a shorter and quicker path towards the baseball. This gives No. 99 more of a chance at the low and outside slider, which has been his kryptonite over the course of his career.
The Yankees have hopes and dreams of returning to the World Series, but coming out victorious this time. Judge has struggled throughout the postseason, slashing .205/.318/.450 with 16 home runs, 34 RBI, and an OPS of .768. If the Captain can flip the script on his production in the postseason, the Bronx Bombers will be the favorite coming out of the AL with a chance to do some damage in the World Series.
