Is Aaron Judge at par with the Yankees’ best after his historic season?

Thursday September 29, 2022

The New York Yankees are the greatest ever team in the Major League and Aaron Judge is their star of the season. From big hitters to an array of MVPs, many superstars graced its past rosters making and breaking a number of records. There were the best hitters, the greatest World Series and division champions, and players who have won the Triple Crown.

Where does Aaron Judge stand among these illustrious men who anchored the history of this celebrated team?

The 2022 campaign that Aaron Judge had was one of the most successful offensive campaigns in the history of the Yankees.

In addition to Judge tying Roger Maris‘ club and American League record of 61 home runs, which the former Yankee great set in 1961, the 30-year-old slugger is also at a striking distance of winning the Triple Crown.

Only Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle in the history of the Yankees have ever led the American League in home runs, runs batted in, and batting average all in the same season. Aaron Judge will be the third Yankee to do that this season. Gehrig won the crown in 1934 and Mantle had it in 1956.

The most recent Major League Baseball player to win the Triple Crown was Miguel Cabrera, who did so in 2012 while playing for the Detroit Tigers. Since then, Aaron Judge has emerged as the strongest contender for it.

In 1934, when Gehrig was the same age as Judge. He had a batting average of .363, along with 49 home runs, and 165 RBI in 154 games. In 1956, 24-years-old Mantle got the crown with a batting average of .353, along with 52 home runs, and 130 RBI in a total of 150 games.

Joe DiMaggio had a batting average of .357 in 1941, along with 30 home runs and 125 RBI, during an era when the dimensions of the left-center field at Yankee Stadium presented a challenge to right-handed hitters. It was significantly larger than today.

In that year, Joe DiMaggio set a record for the Major League Baseball with a home-run hitting streak of 56 games.

And of course, Babe Ruth hit at least 54 home runs in each of his first four seasons in the major leagues, including a staggering 60 in 1927, which stood as the MLB record until Roger Maris surpassed it.

In 2007, Alex Rodriguez had a season in which he was the most valuable player for the Yankees. He batted .314 with 54 home runs and 156 RBI.

Aaron Judge has already made history. The days to come will further evaluate him to see how successful he will be.

Where will this historic season of Aaron Judge rank among the most successful in the Yankees’ history?