Aaron Judge could be one of the best hitters to ever wear pinstripes
Aaron Judge is doing more than just mashing home runs—he’s entering conversations usually reserved for Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle. At this point, it’s not just about being the Yankees’ best today—he may be one of the best ever.
All rise: Aaron Judge is off to a hot start, and making a case as to why he’s among the best hitters to ever put on a Yankees uniform.
So far this year, in his 10th MLB season, the 6-ft-7 behemoth has a .390 batting average (#1 in the MLB), 7 home runs (T-5th), 25 RBIs (#1), and an OPS of 1.202 (#1).
Last year was similar: The two-time AL MVP and six-time All-Star hit .322 with a league-leading 58 homers, 144 RBIs, and a 1.159 OPS (on-base plus slugging), the highest in a season since Barry Bonds in 2004.
Very good, your honor
In his career in pinstripes, the honorable Judge has comparable numbers to Yankees greats like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Lou Gehrig through their same point with the team.
But forget just the Yankees: there’s a case that Judge could be among the greatest hitters of all time, period, after putting up historic numbers in multiple key offensive categories:
- Lifetime OPS: At 1.015, Judge ranks seventh on the all-time list. The only right-handed hitters ahead of him are Jimmie Foxx (retired 1945) and Hank Greenberg (1948).
- Weighted runs created plus: In this advanced metric widely seen as the most comprehensive measure of a hitters’ performance, Judge’s career numbers rank third all-time, ahead of Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, and others.
- At-bats per home run: Judge has hit a home run every 11.3 at-bats, a pace higher than anyone in history except Mark McGwire.
Speaking of pacing: Over Judge's last 162 games—dating back from April 17, 2025—he's hit .343 / .473 / .739 with 63 home runs, 137 runs scored, and 159 RBI. The only other player to reach all of those marks in any 162-game-span in MLB history? The Sultan of Swat The King of Crash The Colossus of Clout The Colossus of Clout Babe Ruth.
- Judge also hit 321 home runs in his first 1,000 games with the Yankees, the exact same total as Ruth.
However…When it comes to stacking up numbers over the course of a career, Judge could be at a disadvantage—he started his MLB career at 24 years old, while those like Ruth, Williams, Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, and Miguel Cabrera were MLB regulars by 21.
