MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Judge has added another historic chapter to his career. The New York Yankees captain has joined Barry Bonds in a statistical club that no other player has touched in the modern era.
The Yankees captain entered September carrying a 202 OPS+, making him just the second qualified hitter in the Expansion Era to reach that number in multiple seasons. Bonds is the only other player to do it, accomplishing the feat six times between 1992 and 2004.
This season marks the third time in four years that Judge has crossed the 200 OPS+ mark. No player since Bonds had even managed two such seasons until the Yankees slugger’s run of dominance.
Breaking down the numbers
OPS+ is a metric that compares a player’s on-base plus slugging percentage to the league average, which is set at 100. Judge’s 202 OPS+ means he has been 102 percent better than the average major league hitter in 2025.
The Yankees star first achieved this level in 2022, when he launched 62 home runs and earned American League MVP honors. He reached it again in 2024 during his second MVP season. Now he is chasing a third such campaign in 2025.
Since Bonds retired, Judge is the only hitter who has reached the 200 OPS+ milestone. He has done it more than once, and each time has pushed the line of what modern power hitters can accomplish.
Judge’s path to greatness
Standing 6-foot-7, Judge has turned himself into the game’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Since 2022, he is hitting .312 with a .438 on-base percentage and a .678 slugging percentage. That line equates to a 209 OPS+ and an average of 60 home runs per 162 games.
His consistency has set him apart. Only 20 players in the history of the American and National Leagues have recorded a 200 OPS+ season, and those players combined to do it 51 times. Judge has reached that level across parts of four seasons and nearly 2,000 plate appearances.
Following in Bonds’ footsteps
The comparisons to Bonds carry added weight for Judge. He grew up in Linden, California, just two hours from San Francisco, where Bonds became a legend. As a young Giants fan, Judge stayed up late to watch Bonds chase history.
“He’d get intentionally walked, then walked again, walked again,” Judge told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2022. “Next night, couple more walks, then all of a sudden, in his third at-bat, they’d maybe throw a changeup on the corner, and he’d drive it out to the opposite field.”
That memory stayed with Judge as he built his own career, eventually standing shoulder to shoulder with the same player he once watched from afar.
Current season dominance
Judge’s 2025 season has been remarkable from the start. Through the first 40 games, he became the first American League player to collect at least 50 hits, reach base 70 times and record 85 total bases before May.
The Yankees captain leads the majors in several offensive categories. Over his last 162 games, he has posted a 1.264 OPS, the highest season-long stretch by any hitter since Bonds’ peak years.
Historic company
Judge’s sustained production has placed him alongside baseball’s legends. His 209 OPS+ since 2022 is the type of number that only 13 right-handed hitters have ever reached in a single season. Judge has maintained it for more than three years.
The accomplishment is even more impressive in today’s environment. League-wide offensive production has dipped slightly compared to last year, yet Judge continues to elevate his performance above the rest of the field. Even with a dip, he would likely surpass his 2024 OPS+ figure.
With two weeks left in the regular season, Judge is firmly on track to reach another historic plateau. His September surge has strengthened his standing as one of the game’s premier offensive players.
Lasting impact
Judge’s feat is more than a line in the record books. It underscores his place among the all-time great hitters, capable of sustaining excellence at a level few have ever reached.
Tying Bonds’ rare record after 21 years demonstrates that even baseball’s most exclusive marks can eventually be matched. Yet doing it three times in four seasons leaves Judge in a class of only two players in the modern game.
As the Yankees prepare for October, their captain has already secured his spot among the sport’s elite. Judge has not just tied Bonds’ record — he has defined himself as the most dominant offensive force of his generation.
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