Aaron Judge – Rising Star

June 4, 2017 Off By tailgatesports

Even as a Sox fan, I still the appreciate the talent Aaron Judge has.  Going into this year, expectations for Judge certainly were high in the Bronx, but everyone’s eyes were on young slugging catcher Gary Sanchez.  Since then “Sanchize, the franchise catcher” has slashed at a solid .267 rate, hitting 6 home runs as well.  But Judge, on the other hand, has taken off as a young phenom.  Manager Joe Girardi has noticed as well, moving Judge up to third in the Yankees’ lineup.  He started off batting at the end of the Yankees lineup, often hitting 7th or 8th, but has moved up all year in accordance with his dynamite performance.

Which category is Judge in, and is his success sustainable? His numbers (.326 and leading the MLB in homers with 18) suggest that he borders the Trout and Harper category.  It might seem premature, but I would say border is not too strong of a word, and I’ll tell you why.  If I am pitching against Aaron Judge at Yankee Stadium, I would be scared he could lift any type of pitch out remotely high in the strike-zone.  The short dimensions of the park down the line make it easy for him to get round trippers at home.  Judge bats a ridiculous .370 with 12 home runs at Yankee Stadium.  He also has a .495 OBP, which means he roughly gets on base half the time he steps up to the plate.  At the same time, however, Judge is not strictly a pull hitter. If you look at his spray chart on FanGraphs, he hits grounders at a very high pull rate, but he has hit 6 home runs to right center, the most in any one area.  And overall, Judge has hit 8 home runs to right field out of 18.  Judge is not only a power hitter, with his .326 average speaking for itself.  In addition, Judge is a tremendous fielder, with remarkable range for a man who is 6’7″ and weighing in at 282 pounds.  Most guys that size are defensive liabilities, but Judge serves as an asset for the Yankees outfield.  

 

Catch on Andrew McCutchen hit (5/21)

The main argument naysayers stress that will result in decline is that this remains a mere hot, unsustainable stretch for Judge.  In reality, however, he keeps getting better.  His .303 in April was deemed a stroke of luck, but Judge followed that up by hitting .347 in May.  The strikeouts will always be there, but when you hit .326, I’m not going to mince stats and complain.  Does having more strikeouts than hits indicate Judge’s average should dip? Yes, but this kid still will hit .280-.290.  He hits laser beams, the kind of hits that keep pitchers up at night haunted by the memory.  Against the Orioles on April 28th, he showed the kind of pop he has by setting the record for exit velocity at 119.4 miles per hour, good for his second home run of the game.  

 

Record velocity homer

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/227127392/yankees-aaron-judge-sets-exit-velocity-record/

 

After 2018, when Bryce Harper is set to become a free agent seeking a 400 million dollar contract, can you imagine if the Yankees signed him? A one two punch of Judge and Harper would be great for baseball, not so much for my Red Sox, but hopefully Harper’s temper and immense talent would ignite the old rivalry.  Throw in Gary Sanchez and the 7 top 100 prospects the Yankees have, plus the ability to outspend every team, and the future of the Yankees is brighter than Times Square on New Year’s.  I don’t think this is their year, but Judge and the Yankees are giving the baseball world a glimpse of what they are capable of.

 

510 foot home run in batting practice

 

Ronald Torreyes (5’8″ 151 lbs) next to Aaron Judge (6’7″ 282 lbs)

 

 

Written by Will McGuinness

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