Yankees' Aaron Judge is off to the start he wanted, and then some
Aaron Judge #99 of the Yankees runs in from the outfield after the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Friday, Apr. 25, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
There was not much to find fault with when it came to Aaron Judge’s 2024 season.
The Yankees outfielder spent much of the year looking as if he might tie or even surpass his American League-record 62 homers hit in 2022, eventually “settling” for 58. He also had a .322 batting average with a .458 on-base percentage, a .701 slugging percentage, an 1.159 OPS and 144 RBIs — all of which led the sport — en route to winning his second AL MVP award to go with the one he took home in 2022.
But Judge came into spring training seeing room for improvement.
“I’d like to get off to a better start,” he said early in camp.
Consider it done.
Judge entered Friday night’s game leading the majors in batting average (.415), OBP (.513), slugging (.734) and OPS (1.247).
Compare that to his performance entering last April 25, when Judge had a .191/.319/.383 slash line and a .702 OPS.
Judge has seven homers and 26 RBIs compared to four homers and 13 RBIs at the same point a year ago.
What’s been different this April?
“Hitting it where they’re not, making contact,” the typically understated Judge said with a smile Wednesday afternoon after going 2-for-4, including a triple, against the Guardians.
Those looking for some kind of in-depth examination from Judge regarding the topic will always come away disappointed.
Aaron Boone, who played 12 years in the big leagues and who is in his eighth season as Yankees manager, has said Judge is among the best players he’s ever seen at “staying the same” day in and day out, regardless of how things are going offensively. Joe Torre and then Joe Girardi used to say similar things about Judge’s predecessor as captain, Derek Jeter — that you would never know if he was in a 1-for-25 stretch or 12-for-25 stretch based on how he carried himself in the clubhouse each day.
“It’s baseball,” Judge said, unintentionally sounding very much like Jeter in a hot stretch. “You guys will be talking to me in June where we have a tough month, I’m going to tell you the same thing. It’s about trying to keep everything simple. Just not trying to do much. I really don’t have an answer for you right now. I wanted to come into this year and have a better April than I did last year. Just trying to keep that going.”
There will be, as Judge referenced, a downturn at some point.
The Blue Jays, who started a three-game series against the Yankees on Friday night, certainly hope that begins sooner rather than later.
Toronto reliever Chad Green, a teammate of Judge’s from the time the outfielder debuted in 2016 through the 2022 season, laughed regarding the numbers he has put up.
“Not really surprised,” Green said before Friday night’s game of Judge, who will turn 33 on Saturday. “When he’s hot, there’s not much you can do about it. When he’s seeing it well, it just is what it is. He lays off good pitches, hits your bad pitches hard, hits your good pitches hard. There’s really not much you can do.”
John Schneider, who took over for the fired Charlie Montoyo in 2022 as Blue Jays manager and was the bench coach before that, has seen Judge do his share of damage against his club over the years.
“When he’s going good, it’s either that,” Schneider said, holding up four fingers, the sign for an intentional walk, “or pitch him carefully. He does such a good job of understanding that pitchers are going to pitch him carefully, and when they do that, mistakes happen usually. And he does not miss those. Never like seeing [No.] 99 in the box, or even on deck. He’s a pain in the [butt]. But you just have to understand where he’s at.”
And where is Judge currently at?
Schneider smiled.
“In this category,” he said, holding up four fingers.
Notes & quotes: DJ LeMahieu, who started the season on the injured list with a left calf strain, started a rehab assignment Wednesday with Double-A Somerset, going 3-for-3 with a home run, and played with Somerset again on Thursday. “So far so good,” LeMahieu said in the clubhouse Friday. “No pain.” LeMahieu, who does not have a set number of rehab games, is slated to play with Somerset again on Saturday and Sunday . . . Trent Grisham, among the early-season offensive surprises for the Yankees, returned from the paternity list Friday and was in the starting lineup. Grisham was hitting .320 with six homers and a 1.093 OPS in 20 games.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
