New York Yankees star right fielder Aaron Judge is off to an incredible start in the 2022 MLB season. So far this year, Judge is batting .314 with a .386 on base percentage and a .692 slugging percentage. Judge comes in at number eight in the league in batting average, number four in the league in runs batted in, and at the top of the league in home runs with 17 total, five more home runs than the next closest player. This incredible production of home runs that we have seen from judge so far this season is due to the fact that he leads the majors in barrel percentage per plate appearance and hard hit percentage. He is also second in the league in average exit velocity, only behind his teammate and fellow Yankee outfielder, Giancarlo Stanton.
This impressive start to the season from Judge could result in a massive paycheck for the big right fielder, this upcoming offseason. If Judge is able to continue the absolute tear that he has been on throughout the first 40 games of the season, he will easily be in the conversation for the American League Most Valuable Player Award, which he came in at fourth place for just last season. With a huge season like this and his rookie contract with the Yankees coming to a close at the end of the season, Judge will most likely be entertaining a lot of different options, which could mean a new home for a potential AL MVP. Now the actual chance of Judge leaving New York after this season may not be too high but, if a team is able to outbid the Yankees in the offseason, there could be a chance that Aaron Judge would be somewhere else next year. This is why it is huge for Aaron Judge that he is having a monster start to his season, because the better he does, the more he gets paid by whoever ends up getting him for next season. It would be pretty difficult for Yankees fans and honestly just baseball fans in general to see Judge in any uniform besides the Yankees pinstripes, but it is a possibility and that will be an interesting thing to watch unfold after this baseball season is over.
For now, lets focus on what Judge is doing this season, with the New York Yankees. The Yankees are currently in first place in the American League East Division and have the best record in baseball. Right now, it is pretty much the general consensus that the Yankees are the best team in the MLB. The Yankees currently have a 97% chance to make the postseason and a 10% chance to win the World Series, the highest percentages of any team in the MLB. This success from the Yankees so far is majorly due to the success of Aaron Judge. Throughout his career, Judge has been very solid in right field and in the middle of the order for the Yankees, always showing that he is a generational talent, but he has dealt with some injuries in the past that have hindered the Yankees ability to really take their success to the next level. With an Aaron Judge that is performing the way he is right now and many key guys stepping up and filling roles like Anthony Rizzo, Josh Donaldson, and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees may have finally figured out how to be the team to beat in the MLB. If Aaron Judge can continue to do what he’s doing, the Yankees will be a World Series favorite as the MLB season progresses.
