The Verdict Is In

Aaron Judge now stands alone.

With 62 home runs, he takes sole ownership of the American League home run record, surpassing Roger Maris, whose record stood tall for 61 years. Through all of the appraisal for Judge, arguments have also been made disputing whether or not he holds the record for Major League Baseball (MLB) history as a whole. In the official books, Barry Bonds lays claim to that with a whopping 73 homers, but he, along with fellow home run leaders Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, set their respective records during the MLB’s steroid era, leading to disputes over the legitimacy of their numbers.

There was no apparent influence of steroids on Judge’s historic season, with Judge having been tested multiple times throughout the course of the season––and frankly, he has no need to enhance his performance. At 6’7” and 282 pounds, there’s no question that he has the attributes to be the most powerful hitter in baseball, and his perfect swing has cemented that title. With each home run, Judge has demonstrated an exquisite understanding of his own swing, creating a flawless launch angle with exemplary power. There was no doubt about it—if anyone was going to surpass Roger Maris, it would be Aaron Judge.

Judge’s 62 home runs represent arguably the most difficult achievement in baseball history. While Maris and Babe Ruth’s records are astonishing in their own respect, the difficulty of pitching they faced is almost trivial compared to what Judge battled. Leading the Yankees to a division title, Judge faced 254 pitchers throughout the season, seeing a closer ratio of starters to relievers (60-40) than anyone in the 60-home-run club. In contrast, Ruth saw just 64 pitchers (75 percent starters) and Maris saw 101 (70 percent starters) in their respective 60+ seasons. The substantial amount of pitchers that Judge saw prevented him from developing a familiarity with the pitches he was seeing. Additionally, Judge faced a far greater range of pitches: most starting pitchers sport an arsenal of four to five pitches, while the majority of relievers have two to three viable options. Fastballs have increased by a significant four miles per hour over the past two decades, and there is more movement on pitches than ever before. All of these improvements are compounded by the prominence of analytics in baseball, which have allowed pitchers to identify how they can best exploit batters’ weaknesses. Judge, for example, is known to struggle against sliders, so pitchers have adapted to favor their slider when the 6’7” slugger takes the plate. Other members of the 60-club faced a far more limited arsenal, and without today’s data analytics, it was harder to locate where their specific weaknesses were. All of these obstacles have prevented anyone else from breaking Maris’s long-standing record, but the mammoth slugger has seamlessly powered through every single one.

As impressive as Judge’s feat is, it would be doing him a disservice not to look at the bigger picture: the league as a whole. Prior seasons featured extraordinary home run numbers, with each of the last three seasons averaging around 0.2 more home runs per game than this season. Adjustments were made to the baseball at the beginning of the season, including a greater air drag on the ball, minimizing the distance that it would travel when hit. In simpler terms, many hits that would’ve left the park last season have been dropping down for flyouts, leading to lower scores and less home runs across the board. Last year, 12 players had 38 or more home runs—a stark contrast to this year’s five. Evidently, players have had difficulty getting accustomed to the new baseballs, and the modifications made are not benefitting the league’s usual top sluggers. Judge, however, is the exception to this rule, as his 62 home runs sit comfortably ahead of Philadelphia slugger Kyle Schwarber’s 46. The league’s best hitter has had no problem asserting his dominance against practically every pitcher he’s seen this season.

Even in a year characterized by much success, Judge experienced his fair share of challenges. After his induction into the 60-club, he encountered his longest drought of the season, going seven games without a home run. And though he continuously put the Yankees’ success over that of his own, Judge’s frustration shined through near the close of the season, when he slammed his helmet after failing to crush an easy pitch beyond the park. His few struggles this season reminded fans that he was human, which only made his accomplishments all the more unfathomable.

Best of all, he’s done all this in a contract year. Last off-season, Judge declined a $230 million offer from the Yankees, believing he had another level to reach. He proved himself right, while proving a lot of others wrong in the process. He came close to challenging for the A.L. Triple Crown and is a practical lock for the A.L. MVP trophy. Judge has landed himself a colossal raise, no matter where he goes.

Despite his staggering pursuit, however, he never once lost his team-first mentality, nor his defining humility. In the words of Roger E. Maris Jr., “I can’t think of anyone better that baseball can look up to than Aaron Judge.”

One day, maybe he’ll be sitting behind home plate, watching the next great baseball player chase 63. But for now, Aaron Judge stands alone with 62.