In 2022, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge played 157 games and hit an American League-record 62 home runs.
Last year, that total fell all the way down to 37, but mainly because hip and toe injuries limited him to 106 games.
Had he played the same 157 games he had in 2022, Judge would have had about 55 home runs last year.
It’s the new norm for him: whereas many players peak at 30 or 40 home runs, he has effectively elevated his floor.
Judge is the definition of power in MLB.
Speaking of MLB, the league’s official Twitter account published Judge’s projections for the 2024 campaign according to FanGraphs.
It’s fair to say they are ambitious, and there is an argument to be made that they are a bit short in the power department:
#AllRise and shine! pic.twitter.com/LD5OwEd9ue
— MLB (@MLB) February 20, 2024
MLB (well, FanGraphs) projects Judge to lead the league with 46 home runs and 114 RBI.
Considering he has 99 long balls in the last two years combined and he could have had more if he didn’t hurt his toe in June, that total could fall short when all is said and done.
Batting right behind OBP-machine Juan Soto will certainly help him in the second statistical category.
He is also projected to have the league’s fourth-best OPS at .948, and the seventh-best OBP at .386.
Those numbers, without Shohei Ohtani in the American League anymore, make the Yankees captain the firm favorite in the AL MVP race.
He has already won one in 2022.
As for the Yankees, they intend for Judge and Soto to lead the charge offensively.
They are among the best hitters in the world, and if they bat next to one another, there could be fireworks in the Bronx.
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