IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

With a bat in his hands, Aaron Judge has few peers, this year or in MLB history

- by MATT EDDY

Aaron Judge has shown 80-grade power since his rookie season.

He hit 52 home runs in 2017, establishing a since-broken rookie record. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Since then, Judge:

■ Hit 62 home runs in 2022 to establish an American League record.

■ Topped 50 home runs four times, including in each of the past two seasons.

■ Won the Best Power category in AL Best Tools voting five times. Only Mark McGwire has more first-place finishes in the Baseball America exercise, which dates back to 1988.

■ Reached 300 home runs in just 955 games, the fastest pace in MLB history.

No hitter has more home runs or a higher slugging percentage than Judge since MLB resumed post-pandemic normalcy in 2021. Even more notable: In recent seasons the 33-year-old Yankees superstar has become an 80-grade hitter.

Judge is one of three qualified hitters to carry a .300 batting average since 2021—he trails only Luis Arraez and Freddie Freeman—while nobody can touch his .426 on-base percentage, not even Juan Soto, the king of walks.

Judge has always been selective at the plate, but in recent seasons he has hit the ball harder and kept it off the ground at a higher rate. This has driven a high expected batting average—and a much higher actual batting average.

Judge hit .272 through 2020, followed by a .306 mark in the five seasons since.