The new york yankees win over the Baltimore Orioles today capped off their three-game sweep of their division rivals. In the series, the team collectively totaled 44 hits and 38 runs scored, truly astronomical numbers for a team as hot as the Yankees are right now.
But no player on the team, or for the rest of the MLB for that matter, has stood out more than rookie right fielder Aaron Judge. Today, Judge hit a 495ft home run that cleared the right field bleachers sending Yankee Stadium, as well as the entire baseball world, into a frenzy. Not only was that the longest home run hit so far this season, but it was the longest home run ever recorded since MLB began tracking home run distance back in 2009.
495 feet! @TheJudge44 is on another level. #Statcast pic.twitter.com/eeJYG0A0wf
— #Statcast (@statcast) June 11, 2017
The home run epitomized the kind of year Judge is having, as well as the lore that’s quickly building behind is the very name. With the All-Star game fast approaching, the unofficial midway point of the MLB season, the question on everyone’s mind is could Aaron Judge be the first player since Ichiro Suzuki to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP?
A tremendous start
Based on statistics alone, it certainly seems as though Judge has a pretty solid case to make a bid for the two highly coveted awards. As of today, Judge leads the American League in home runs, batting average, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and wins above replacement, posting up a stat line of .344/21/47.
If Judge keeps this up, he could potentially be the first player since Miguel Cabrera to hit for the Triple Crown, although that seems pretty unlikely. However, between the reigning AL MVP Mike Trout is currently on the disabled list, and Judge’s tremendous numbers, it’s looking more and more plausible with each passing day that the Yankee right fielder could not only win AL Rookie of the Year but also win AL MVP honors as well.
If Judge accomplishes this feat, he would be the first Yankee to win Rookie of the Year since Derek Jeter in 1996, along with being the first Yankee to win MVP since Alex Rodriguez back in 2007.
The only two players in MLB history to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season were Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn back in 1975, and Seattle Mariner's right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.
With the way Judge is playing right now, it seems very plausible that he could become the third.
A growing legend
There’s no doubt that it would be presumptuous to say that Judge could become a future Yankee legend, but at the same time, it’s hard not to buy into the hype. The man seems to combine Jeter’s humble attitude with the sheer talent and power of other Yankee legends such as Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. Although, it would be wise to curb expectations at least a little bit.
Judge wouldn’t be the first player in MLB history to have a hot start to his career, only to vanish into obscurity several years later, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. But Yankee fan or no, it’s hard not to root for the guy.
The way he carries himself alone makes it nigh impossible to hate him, even if you’re a Red Sox fan. Until Judge proves otherwise that he’s not the real deal, I don’t see any reason to doubt his talent.
