Aaron Judge already has multiple MVP seasons to his name, including his 62-homer campaign in 2022 and an even more complete offensive masterpiece in 2024, but what he's doing at the beginning of this season hints that his 2025 could be on an entirely new level. ESPN reports that through the early part of the season, Judge is making a .400 season seem incredibly possible while pacing the majors in hits, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging, and just about every advanced metric that exists. He's on pace for more than 50 homers, but perhaps even more impressively, he's striking out less and getting on base more than ever, putting him in the statistical company of all-time legends.
During the first 34 games of the season, Judge hit over .400 with an on-base percentage over .500, and a slugging percentage over .700 while mashing into double-digit home runs. The Athletic notes the only other players to reach those numbers in the first 34 games of a season are Jimmie Foxx in 1932 and Ted Williams in 1957. Judge's .423 average in April was the fifth-highest in a calendar month since division play began in 1969, and Sports Illustrated notes that coming into this season, no American League player had ever recorded at least 50 hits, reached base at least 70 times, or amassed 85 total bases before May 1. But Judge did all three.
The Wall Street Journal traces the surge back to a subtle adjustment Judge made in May of last season. After a rough April, Judge tweaked his stance—closing it slightly and narrowing his base—and that tiny shift unlocked another gear. From May 5, 2024, to May 5 of this year, he hit .369 with 63 homers and 158 RBI—far and away the best in baseball. "You've just got to go up there with confidence, no matter what," Judge says. "I felt the same even when I was hitting .170 last year." But there may be a simple explanation for that: "He's just better than everyone else," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. "He's just playing a different game." (More Aaron Judge stories.)
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