Analyst anoints Aaron Judge as modern game’s greatest right-handed slugger
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Follow UsDiscussions surrounding Aaron Judge have entered territory typically reserved for baseball immortals. The Yankees‘ powerhouse, with two AL MVP awards already secured and serving as the face of baseball’s most storied franchise, now receives acclaim previously accorded only to Cooperstown legends.
Midway through May 2025, Judge isn’t merely outperforming his contemporaries—he’s redefining offensive excellence for modern baseball. According to one prominent MLB analyst, the Yankees captain has earned a distinction few receive: the greatest right-handed batter of the modern era.
This isn’t hyperbole—it’s statistical reality.
Statistical dominance that rewrites history
Through his first 34 appearances this season, Judge has compiled astonishing numbers: .423 batting average, .510 on-base percentage, .777 slugging, 1.287 OPS, and 11 home runs. His wRC+ of 261 indicates he’s generating offense at a rate 161% above league average—a staggering figure in today’s pitching-dominated environment.
Looking back across a full year, Judge has produced a slash line of .371/.496/.788, launched 64 home runs, and posted a 252 wRC+. This transcends MVP-caliber production—it’s reminiscent of Babe Ruth himself.
Since Opening Day 2022, spanning 455 contests, Judge boasts a line of .314/.439/.682/1.121, with 168 home runs and a 207 wRC+. That translates to 60 homers per 162 games and run production exceeding double the league average. No other right-handed batter in the past century has maintained such excellence over a comparable period.
Elite company, then solitude
To find comparable performers, one must examine legends like Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, and Rogers Hornsby. Even titans such as Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Schmidt, and Frank Robinson—the gold standards for right-handed excellence—fall short of Judge’s current trajectory.
Only Mark McGwire (199 HRs) and Sammy Sosa (175 HRs) have exceeded Judge’s 168 homers across a 450-game stretch—both with PED associations clouding their achievements. Without such qualifications, Jimmie Foxx’s 154 stood unmatched for nearly nine decades until Judge surpassed it.
Regarding run creation, Judge’s 207 wRC+ places him alone at the summit. The last right-handed batter to record even a single full season at that level was the Yankees captain himself, delivering a 218 wRC+ in 2024.
A century-spanning achievement
Judge’s cumulative line of .314/.439/.682/1.121 over four seasons remains unmatched by any right-handed hitter since the early 1930s. According to Baseball Reference, only Foxx between 1932-1934 exceeded that level over 450 games.
Since then, not even generational talents like Manny Ramirez, DiMaggio, or Miggy Cabrera have approached such sustained brilliance.
Rivaling Ruth’s legendary campaigns
Consider Judge’s previous 159 games as a single official season. The numbers would challenge Babe Ruth‘s most celebrated years:
| Player | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Judge ’24-25* | 63 | 0.371 | 0.496 | 0.788 |
| Ruth 1927 | 60 | 0.356 | .486 | 0.772 |
| Ruth 1926 | 47 | 0.372 | .516 | 0.737 |
| Ruth 1921 | 59 | 0.378 | 0.512 | 0.846 |
| Ruth 1920 | 54 | .376 | 0.532 | 0.847 |
(*Since May 5, 2024)
That Judge now occupies statistical territory alongside Ruth—sometimes surpassing him—highlights the historical significance we’re witnessing.
April for the ages
Judge launched the 2025 campaign with one of baseball’s greatest monthly performances. By April’s conclusion, he had:
- 50 hits — exceeding the combined total of Mookie Betts and Jose Altuve (49)
- Reached base 73 times, matched only once by any active player (Juan Soto, September/October 2021)
- A .427 batting average and .521 OBP for the month
Only a select group—Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth—have recorded a month with a .400+ average, .500+ OBP, 10+ homers, and 70+ times on base. Judge just joined this exclusive fraternity.
Physical marvel
Judge isn’t merely setting records—he’s doing it with physical dimensions more suited to basketball than baseball. At 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, he towers over batting champions throughout history. Should he claim a batting title this year (his .423 average suggests likelihood), he would surpass Frank Thomas (240 lbs) as the heaviest champion ever, while exceeding John Olerud and Dave Parker (both 6-foot-5) in height.
Simply put, Judge defies every conventional baseball archetype—physically and statistically.
Microscopic mastery
Even granular metrics reinforce Judge’s case:
- More multi-hit games (17) than single-hit performances (13)
- More three-hit outings (6) than hitless appearances (4)
- More singles (33) than Luis Arraez’s total hits (28)
- Hitting .519 with runners in scoring position, with just 6 strikeouts in those situations
Perhaps most remarkable? As of early May, Judge’s .423 average exceeded any AL player’s OBP—a category typically dominated by on-base specialists.
So, has Aaron Judge earned recognition as the greatest right-handed hitter of the modern era?
When measured against nearly a century of legends, the statistics confirm this status. From Foxx to Pujols, no one has assembled the same combination of power, plate discipline, and production across a four-season peak. If Judge maintains even 85% of this form through his 30s, Cooperstown isn’t merely possible—it’s inevitable.
Modern baseball has never witnessed his like. We are all witnesses to history unfolding.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
- Categories: Aaron Judge, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, News
- Tags: aaron judge, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, lou gherig, Mickey Mantle
