New York Yankees’ manager, Aaron Boone, often reminds himself of the privilege of witnessing history being made as he watches Aaron Judge from the dugout. On a recent Wednesday, Boone watched as Judge hit his 300th career home run off Chicago White Sox reliever Chad Kuhl, becoming the fastest player to reach this milestone. It took him just 955 games and 3,431 at-bats to reach 300 home runs, beating previous records held by Ralph Kiner and Babe Ruth respectively.
Currently, Judge’s performance puts him on track for 58 home runs this season threatening to break his own single-season record of 62 home runs set in 2022. Even if he doesn’t surpass this record, his overall performance this season is already surpassing that of last year with improved batting averages, on-base percentages, slugging percentages, and strikeout percentages. His current performance is fourth-best in the offensive season since 1957, with only Barry Bonds’ 2001, 2002, and 2004 seasons performing better.
This consistently remarkable performance makes Judge a favorite contender for his second American League MVP award. His intense rivalry with Bobby Witt Jr. of Kansas City Royals for the top of the fWAR leaderboard has created a spectacle for baseball fans. Stanton, another high-performing teammate, commented on Judge’s prowess, describing his performances as “incredible” and hinting that Judge has “more in store.”
At the age of 32, Judge is the 13th active player to reach 300 home runs in his career. Stanton leads that list with 422 home runs under his belt. Judge’s next rival on the leaderboard is his close friend and teammate Anthony Rizzo, who currently has 303 home runs to his name. Judge averages 51 home runs per 162 games, a rate which, if maintained, would get him to achieve 500 career home runs in his age-36 season.
The current speculation is that Judge, given his age and his track record as the most powerful hitter since Bonds, could be the next active player to join the elite 500 home run club. While his teammate Stanton is inching closer to the 500 mark, his struggle with maintaining good health might leave him short of this landmark achievement. On the other hand, Judge’s robust performance puts him on a promising path to reach this milestone in the near future.
