Aaron Judge

3.2.1. 2016

Judge made his MLB debut on August 13, 2016, starting in right field against the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first MLB at-bat, Judge hit a home run off Matt Andriese. Notably, the previous batter, Tyler Austin, also making his MLB debut, had hit a home run, marking the first time two teammates had hit back-to-back home runs in their first MLB career at-bats in the same game. Judge also homered in his second MLB game, becoming the second Yankees player to do so. His debut season ended prematurely on September 13, 2016, when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a grade two right oblique strain. He finished the season batting .179/.263/.345 with 42 strikeouts in 84 at-bats.

3.2.2. 2017

The 2017 season was a breakout year for Judge. He was named the Yankees' Opening Day right fielder. On April 28, he hit two home runs against the Baltimore Orioles, including one with an exit velocity of 119.4 mph, which was the fastest measured by Statcast at the time. He ended April with 10 home runs, tying a rookie record, and was named the American League's (AL) Rookie of the Month for April, batting .303 with 10 home runs and 20 RBIs.

On May 22, the Yankees introduced "The Judge's Chambers," a cheering section in right field at Yankee Stadium for selected fans, who wear black robes, wigs, and foam gavels. On May 28, Judge hit his first career grand slam. He earned his second consecutive AL Rookie of the Month award for May, batting .347 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs.

On June 10, Judge set another Statcast record with a home run that had an exit velocity of 121.1 mph. The next day, he hit a 495 ft home run, the longest of the 2017 season. He was named AL Player of the Week on June 12, leading the AL in all three Triple Crown categories at that point. For June, he was named AL Player of the Month and received his third consecutive AL Rookie of the Month award, a streak only surpassed by Mike Trout in 2012. He had a 32-game on-base streak, including reaching base in every game in June. On July 2, he was voted a starting outfielder for the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, receiving the most votes of any AL player.

Judge broke Joe DiMaggio's record for most home runs by a Yankees rookie with his 30th on July 7. He became the second rookie (after Mark McGwire in 1987) and first Yankee since Alex Rodriguez in 2007 to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. Before the break, he was batting .329 with 30 home runs and 66 RBIs.

Judge won the 2017 Home Run Derby, becoming the first rookie to win it outright. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred stated that Judge could become "the face of the game." On July 21, he hit a home run at Safeco Field so hard that Statcast could not measure its details.

On August 16, Judge hit a 457 ft home run at Citi Field and set a record for position players by striking out in a 33rd consecutive game. On August 20, he tied pitcher Bill Stoneman's record of striking out in 37 consecutive games.

By September 4, Judge became the first AL rookie since Al Rosen (1950) to record 100 walks in a season, and the first MLB player since Jim Gilliam (1953). On September 10, he received his 107th walk, the most by a rookie since Ted Williams in 1939. In the same game, he became the second rookie in MLB history (after McGwire in 1987) to hit 40 home runs in a season. He joined Babe Ruth (1920), Lou Gehrig (1927), Joe DiMaggio (1937), and Mickey Mantle (1956) as the only Yankees to hit 40 home runs at age 25 or younger.

On September 25, Judge hit his 49th and 50th home runs, tying and then surpassing Mark McGwire's single-season rookie home run record. On September 30, he hit his 52nd home run, his 33rd at Yankee Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth's 1921 record for most home runs hit by a Yankees player at their home ballpark. He won his second Player of the Month and fourth Rookie of the Month awards for September.

Judge finished the 2017 regular season with a slash line of .284/.422/.627, 154 hits, 52 home runs, 114 RBI, 127 walks (a major-league rookie record), and nine stolen bases. He led the AL in home runs, runs scored (128), and walks. He also led MLB with 208 strikeouts, breaking the Yankees record previously held by Curtis Granderson (2012) and the MLB rookie record by Kris Bryant (2015).

The Yankees clinched a Wild Card spot with a 91-71 record. In the Wild Card Game against the Minnesota Twins, Judge hit a home run in an 8-4 Yankees victory. In Game 3 of the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Cleveland Indians, Judge robbed Francisco Lindor of a home run. He set an ALDS record with 16 strikeouts in the series. After the Yankees advanced, Judge hit three home runs in the 2017 American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Houston Astros. He also robbed Yulieski Gurriel of a potential home run in Game 7, which the Yankees lost. He finished the postseason with 27 strikeouts, an MLB record at the time (broken 11 days later by Cody Bellinger).

For his exceptional 2017 season, Judge was selected as an outfielder on Baseball America{{'s}} All-MLB Team, won the Players Choice Award for Outstanding AL Rookie, and received a Silver Slugger Award. He was unanimously voted the American League Rookie of the Year and finished second in the voting for the 2017 American League Most Valuable Player Award to Jose Altuve, receiving two first-place votes. On November 21, it was revealed that Judge had undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder for a cartilage cleanup, an injury that dated back to April of that year.

3.2.3. 2018

On March 31, 2018, Judge made his first career start at center field in the majors. At 6 in tall and weighing 282 lb ^{(282 lb)}, he became the tallest and heaviest player in baseball history to play the position.

Batting .277 with 25 home runs and 58 RBIs, Judge was named a starting outfielder for the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, where he hit a solo home run off National League starter Max Scherzer.

On July 26, Judge was hit by a 93 mph fastball from Kansas City Royals pitcher Jakob Junis, fracturing the ulnar styloid process bone in his right wrist. No surgery was required, but the injury took longer to heal than expected, causing him to miss nearly two months. He returned to the lineup on September 18 against the Boston Red Sox. Judge finished the season with a .278 batting average, 27 home runs, and 67 RBIs in 112 games. The Yankees eliminated the Oakland A's in the Wild Card Game, but were defeated by the Red Sox in the American League Division Series.

3.2.4. 2019

Judge started the 2019 season strong, batting .288 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in his first 20 games. However, on April 20, he suffered a left oblique strain while hitting a single, leading to a significant absence. He returned to play on June 21.

On August 27, Judge hit his 17th home run of the season and 100th career home run, a 462 ft blast against the Seattle Mariners. This achievement made him the third-fastest MLB player to reach 100 home runs, doing so in his 371st game.

On September 8, Judge hit a home run over Fenway Park's Green Monster for the first time, contributing to the 2019 Yankees setting a new franchise record for most team home runs in a single season.

In 2019, he batted .272/.381/.540, with 27 home runs and 55 RBIs in 378 at-bats. Balls he hit had the highest average exit velocity among all major leaguers at 95.9 mph. His defensive excellence earned him the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for right field, as he led the league in defensive runs saved as a right fielder (19 runs saved).

3.2.5. 2020

During Spring Training 2020, Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs, sidelining him for at least two weeks.
He began the COVID-19 pandemic-delayed 60-game regular season with a remarkable streak of five consecutive games with a home run, hitting six during that span, including a 419 ft, 108 mph three-run shot off Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Hall. This streak was the longest by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. The streak ended on August 3. On August 14, Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain, and on August 26, he was placed on the IL again after re-straining the same calf. He finished the shortened season batting .257/.336/.554 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs over 28 games.

3.2.6. 2021

Judge earned his fourth career AL Player of the Week Award for the week of May 10-16, 2021, posting a slash line of .571/.640/1.333 with five home runs and 12 hits. During this period, he hit his 130th career home run, the second-most in MLB history through 460 career games, trailing only Ryan Howard. On May 23, he recorded his first career walk-off RBI against Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox.

On July 9, Judge recorded his 500th career hit, a double against the Houston Astros. He became the second-fastest Yankee to reach 500 hits and 100 home runs, achieving the feat in his 506th game, with only Joe DiMaggio reaching it faster (395 games). Judge was named the starting right fielder in the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.

Following the All-Star Game, Judge was placed on the COVID-19 injured list after testing positive for the virus, returning against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 27. On August 12, in the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, Judge hit two multiple-run home runs. He also hit two home runs on September 11 against the New York Mets. On October 3, the final game of the regular season, Judge recorded his first career walk-off hit, a single that secured a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays and clinched a Wild Card Game spot for the Yankees. In the Wild Card game, he became the first Yankee to be ruled out at home plate on a hit in a winner-take-all game.

Judge finished the 2021 season batting .287/.373/.544 with 158 hits, 39 home runs, 98 RBI, 75 walks, and six stolen bases. After the season, he won a Fielding Bible Award for his defensive excellence and his second Silver Slugger Award. On November 23, 2021, Judge was named to the First Team of the All-MLB Team as an outfielder.

3.2.7. 2022

Before the 2022 Yankees season, Judge and the Yankees failed to agree on a long-term contract. General Manager Brian Cashman revealed that the team offered a seven-year extension worth 213.50 M USD, in addition to a 17.00 M USD arbitration offer. Judge avoided salary arbitration by signing a one-year, 19.00 M USD contract on June 24, which included additional bonuses for winning the MVP or World Series MVP awards.

Judge started the 2022 season strong, batting .293/.361/.600 with six home runs in April. On May 10, he hit his first career walk-off home run against Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano. He was named the American League Player of the Month for May, slashing .311/.378/.699 with 12 home runs.

On June 26, Judge hit his second career walk-off home run against the Houston Astros, following the Yankees being no-hit by the Astros in the previous game. He was elected as a starter for the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, receiving the most fan votes in the American League, marking his second successive and fourth overall All-Star selection.

He slugged his third and final walk-off homer of the season on July 28 against the Kansas City Royals, tying Mickey Mantle for the most by a Yankee in a single season. Judge earned back-to-back AL Player of the Week awards for the weeks ending July 24 and 31, and also claimed the AL Player of the Month Award for July, batting .333/.436/.806 with 13 home runs.

On July 30, Judge hit his 200th career home run, becoming the second-fastest player in history to reach the milestone (behind Ryan Howard). On August 29, he hit his 50th home run of the season, becoming only the tenth player in MLB history (and third Yankee) to record multiple 50-home run seasons.

On September 7, Judge hit his 55th home run, joining Babe Ruth (1921), Sammy Sosa (1998), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1997-98) as the only players in MLB history to hit 55-plus home runs and steal 15-plus bases in a single season. On September 18, he equaled Hank Greenberg and Sammy Sosa's record of 11 multiple home run games in an MLB season, hitting his 58th and 59th home runs.

Judge's 60th home run came on September 20, 2022, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, making him the third AL player in history to reach 60 home runs in a season and the fastest Yankee to do so (in 147 games). On September 28, he hit his 61st home run off Tim Mayza of the Toronto Blue Jays, tying Roger Maris for the most home runs in a single season in American League history. On October 4, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, Judge hit his 62nd home run off Jesús Tinoco, setting the new single-season American League home run record. Many consider Judge's 62 home runs to be the legitimate Major League single-season record, as the only players with more home runs (Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire) have been tied to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Judge was selected as the AL Player of the Week for September 29 - October 5, and claimed his third AL Player of the Month Award for September, batting .417/.565/.869.

In 2022, Judge led the major leagues with 62 home runs, 133 runs scored, 131 RBI (tied with Pete Alonso), and 111 walks. He batted .311/.425/.686 with 177 hits, 28 doubles, and 19 intentional walks, while stealing 16 bases in 19 attempts. He narrowly missed the American League batting triple crown, with Luis Arraez having a superior batting average by five points. He played 78 games in center field, 73 games in right field, and 25 games as a designated hitter.

For his outstanding 2022 regular season, Judge won the 2022 American League MVP Award, receiving 28 of 30 first-place votes. He was also named to the 2022 All-MLB Team. His 2022 campaign is widely regarded as one of the best offensive seasons in Major League history. On December 30, 2022, Judge was voted The Associated Press (AP) "Male Athlete of the Year" and was also selected as the Time Magazine Athlete of the Year.

The Yankees qualified for the 2022 postseason, defeating the Cleveland Guardians in the 2022 American League Division Series in five games, where Judge slashed .200/.238/.500 with two home runs. However, in the 2022 American League Championship Series, Judge struggled, hitting just .063/.118/.063 with one hit and a walk as the Yankees were swept in four games by the Houston Astros, who went on to win the World Series.

After the 2022 season, Judge became a free agent. The Yankees offered him the qualifying offer, which he declined.

3.2.8. 2023

During free agency, Judge was pursued by the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, in addition to the Yankees. By early December 2022, the Padres reportedly offered him over 400.00 M USD. The Yankees' initial offer was 320.00 M USD over eight years. A new agreement with the Yankees was forged through a direct phone call between Judge and Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees' owner, who offered to add a ninth year and an additional 40.00 M USD guaranteed. This led to the nine-year, 360.00 M USD deal signed on December 20, 2022, which broke the record for the largest free agent deal in MLB history. The following day, Steinbrenner named Judge the 16th captain of the Yankees, the first since Derek Jeter's retirement eight years prior.

On 2023 MLB Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, Judge made his first regular season appearance as captain and hit his first home run of the season, a long ball into Monument Park off San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb.

Judge had his first stint on the 10-day injured list for the season after suffering a mild hip strain while sliding into base against the Minnesota Twins on April 26. He returned on May 9 against the Oakland Athletics.

Judge received the American League Player of the Week Award for May 15-21. Despite missing the first week of games in May, he also won the American League Player of the Month Award for May 2023, batting .342/.474/.882 with 12 home runs in 21 games.

On June 3, Judge crashed through a closed gate in the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium while making a spectacular fly out off JD Martinez, resulting in a sprain to his toe. This injury caused him to miss 42 games, during which the Yankees went 19-23. Despite the injury, Judge was elected to the 2023 Major League Baseball All Star Game but was unable to play. He returned against the Baltimore Orioles on July 28.

On August 23, Judge hit three home runs, including a grand slam, against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. He repeated this feat less than a month later on September 22 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the first Yankee to hit three home runs in a game twice in a single season. Judge won his second AL Player of the Week Award for 2023 on September 24.

On September 2, Judge hit his 250th career home run (his 30th of the season), a 426 ft solo smash off Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros. This made him the fastest player in MLB history to reach 250 home runs, doing so in his 810th career game, surpassing Ryan Howard (855 games) and Ralph Kiner (871 games).

Despite missing 56 games, Judge recorded 37 home runs for the 2023 season, putting him on a 55 home run pace had he played a full season. He finished 2023 with a slash line of .267/.406/.613, marking his second successive year with an on-base plus slugging percentage over 1.000 and his third overall. He had 98 hits, 16 doubles, 75 RBI, 88 walks, nine intentional walks, and three stolen bases. The Yankees finished fourth in the AL East and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Judge was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award before Game 3 of the 2023 World Series on October 30. This award recognized his exemplary character and charitable work promoting responsible youth and civic citizenship in New York and California through his ALL RISE Foundation. He was also selected to the All-MLB Team for the third successive year, this time to the Second Team. As captain, Judge took a more hands-on approach, engaging in conversations with Hal Steinbrenner about the team's direction following their missed postseason.

3.2.9. 2024

Following an injury-interrupted spring training, Judge started the 2024 regular season slowly, batting .180 through the first three weeks of April. He primarily played center field in the early part of the season, but also made his first major league appearance in left field due to Alex Verdugo's absence. By late April, Judge's performance improved, as he collected eight hits, three home runs, and six walks in the final week of the month.

On May 4, Judge was ejected for the first time in his Major League career after arguing a third-strike call. He was selected as the American League Player of the Week for the week of May 19, after going 10-for-20 and slugging 1.200 with three home runs and five doubles. Judge was also named the American League Player of the Month for May, hitting 14 home runs and 12 doubles, with 27 RBI, and slashing .361/.479/.918. This was his seventh AL Player of the Month selection and his third successive May honor. Judge played his first series at Oracle Park against the San Francisco Giants, going 6-for-10 with three home runs and six RBI as the Yankees swept the series. By the end of May, his season slash line improved to .277/.405/.643, with an OPS of 1.048.

For the week ending June 9, Judge received his second AL Player of the Week award for 2024, slashing .500/.630/1.200 with three home runs and 12 RBI during a six-game homestand. Following a 3-for-4 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 9, Judge raised his season batting average to over .300 for the first time in 2024. By the end of June, Judge led the majors in home runs (31), runs batted in (82), and OPS (1.144), and was second in the AL in batting average (.316) among qualified hitters. He won the AL Player of the Month Award again in June, for the second successive month, slashing .409/.514/.864 with an OPS of 1.378, 11 home runs, and 37 RBI.

On June 27, Judge was announced as a starting outfielder for the American League in the 2024 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, having received the most votes, marking the second time in three seasons he led the majors in votes.

On August 2 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Judge hit a 477 ft home run against pitcher Kevin Gausman, collecting his 40th home run of the season and his major league-leading 100th RBI.

On August 14, batting against Chad Kuhl of the Chicago White Sox, Judge hit his 300th career home run in the Yankees' 10-2 victory. He became the fastest player to ever hit 300 home runs, achieving the feat in 955 games and 3,431 at-bats, surpassing Ralph Kiner's record by 132 games and Babe Ruth's by 400 at-bats. He also became the second hitter to record his 300th home run prior to his 1,000th hit.

He hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the season on August 25, becoming the fifth player in MLB history with three or more seasons of 50 or more home runs. Judge was named the AL Player of the Week for the week of August 19-25. On August 26, Judge collected his 1,000th career hit, a line-drive single to right field against José Ferrer at Nationals Park. Judge received the August AL Player of the Month Award, his third such award of the season, after slashing .389/.530/.856 with an OPS of 1.386 for the month.

On September 13, Judge hit a go-ahead grand slam at Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox, ending a 16-game homerless streak, the longest of his major league career. The grand slam completed a comeback for the Yankees, who had trailed 4-1.

The Yankees won the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians in five games, with Judge hitting two home runs and notching five RBIs. In his first World Series, Judge went 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the first three games as the Yankees fell into a 3-0 series deficit. In Game 5, Judge hit his first career World Series home run, but a series of defensive mistakes, including Judge's first error of the season, contributed to the Yankees losing the game 7-6 and the series in five games. After the season, Judge won the AL MVP Award, becoming the second Yankee player to win the award unanimously, following Mickey Mantle in 1956.

3.2.10. Career Statistics

• As of 2024 season. Bold indicates league leader.