Yankees' Aaron Judge isn't all about hitting homers; he can play defense just as well

Yankees rightfielder Aaron Judge this week at the Stadium. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
TAMPA, Fla. — It’s not that Aaron Judge’s defense catches anyone by surprise.
Since his AL Rookie of the Year season in 2017, the outfielder has consistently been a plus defender, named a Gold Glove finalist in rightfield that season and in 2018 as well.
Still, because of his offensive prowess, Judge’s defensive abilities often fly under the radar — until he uncorks a throw like the one he made in the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Rays on Thursday night at Steinbrenner Field.
After Judge gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an RBI single, the Rays threatened in the bottom half. Leadoff man Kameron Misner singled and Brandon Lowe followed with a bullet single to right.
Misner chose to challenge Judge by heading toward third. But after a perfect throw to Oswaldo Cabrera, he slowly made his way back to the Rays’ dugout after being called out on a play that wasn’t all that close.
“Wow, what a throw,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I’m sure they told Misner before the game [about Judge’s arm], but he got to live it. That’s about as good as you’ll see right there.”
Right on target 🎯
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2025
Aaron Judge shows off the cannon! pic.twitter.com/HePEF6GoEk
Centerfielder Cody Bellinger, who won the NL MVP and NL Gold Glove in rightfield with the Dodgers in 2019, mentioned Judge in the same sentence as a former teammate of his, Mookie Betts. The latter, a six-time Gold Glove winner, has been considered to have one of the best and most accurate arms in baseball.
“Him [Judge] and Mookie have the same type of throw where it’s like so simple, yet it jumps out of their hand and it’s on the [expletive] money every time,” Bellinger said after Thursday’s game.
Bellinger shook his head.
“It’s insane,” he said.
Bellinger, who came to the Yankees in the offseason via a trade with the Cubs, said he was very much aware of Judge’s arm before arriving in the Bronx.
“Oh, I knew,” Bellinger said. “There’s a bunch of videos [online] of, like, balls in the corner at Yankee Stadium and he’s just right on the money to second base every single time. I’ve definitely known.”
As much attention as Judge’s arm receives, scouts have talked about other aspects of his outfield play for years.
“He’s so fundamentally sound out there,” one AL scout said. “Footwork, positioning, the reads [off the bat]. You almost never see him take the wrong route.”
Since his 2017 season, when he hit a then-rookie-record 52 home runs, Judge has always talked about the importance of being a good “all-around player.” Defense is and always has been as important to Judge as offense.
It’s no secret how much the two-time AL MVP would like to win a Gold Glove. Not because of a desire to add another individual accolade but because of what it represents.
“I take pride in my defense,” Judge has said many times.
The Yankees had Judge rated as an above-average defender in 2013 when they drafted him out of Fresno State, where he played almost exclusively in centerfield. Judge went about making himself better as a professional, starting in the minor leagues.
“The work he’s done [since being drafted] has just made him [a] Gold Glove [caliber player],” Damon Oppenheimer, the club’s amateur scouting director since 2005, said in a 2023 interview about Judge’s growth on defense. “It’s just the consistency of his defense. Some guys get worse defensively because they don’t put in the time, they don’t put in the work. And he does.
“Everything about his defense has gotten better, from judgment plays to the throws, the accuracy of the throws. The thing that we don’t ever get to see him do in the amateur world is how the third deck of a stadium’s going to affect [a player] and, obviously, for him, that’s nothing.”
Boone, with a front-row seat since his first year as manager in 2018, pushed back on the notion of Judge’s defense being “overshadowed” by his offense.
“I’ve never really heard that,” Boone said. “I feel like people always acknowledge how good an all-around player he is and how good of a defender. The Gold Glove is just a little bit of a timing thing. There’s been years where he probably hasn’t been out there [in right because of injury], there’s been years where he’s been in center and right. But I think industry-wise, people know what a special defender he is, too.”
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