Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge is a prominent Major League Baseball (MLB) player, known for his exceptional hitting power and significant contributions to the New York Yankees since his debut in 2016. Born on April 26, 1992, in Sacramento, California, Judge was raised in Linden by his adoptive parents, both physical education teachers. He excelled in various sports throughout his youth, ultimately choosing to pursue baseball, which led him to play for California State University, Fresno. Judge was selected by the Yankees in the 2013 MLB Draft and quickly ascended through the minor leagues.
Judge gained national attention after setting a rookie record with 52 home runs in 2017 and later breaking the American League record with 62 home runs in 2022, earning him the AL Most Valuable Player Award. His playing style reflects a combination of power and athleticism, making him one of the sport's most recognized figures. In addition to his on-field accomplishments, Judge is known for his philanthropic efforts through his All Rise Foundation, which supports youth initiatives. As of 2023, he continues to be a key player for the Yankees, holding the title of team captain and maintaining a strong presence in the league.
Aaron Judge
- Born: April 26, 1992
Baseball player Aaron Judge became one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball (MLB) after making his debut with the New York Yankees in 2016. He is best known for his prodigious power as a hitter. He hit a rookie-record 52 home runs in 2017, when he won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award, and hit an AL–record 62 home runs in 2022, when he won the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Early Life
Aaron James Judge was born on April 26, 1992, in Sacramento, California. He was adopted by Wayne and Patty Judge the day after his birth. Both his parents were physical education teachers. They raised Aaron, along with his older brother John, in the small agricultural town of Linden, California.
Even before Judge reached his adult height of six feet seven inches, he was consistently tall and large for his age. He was also a naturally gifted athlete, and played football, basketball, and baseball at Linden High School. He excelled at all three sports, setting school touchdown records, leading his basketball team in points per game, and helping his baseball team reach the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs as both a pitcher and a first baseman. He graduated from high school in 2010.
Although several colleges attempted to recruit Judge to play football, he preferred baseball. He was drafted out of high school by the MLB's Oakland Athletics, but he chose to go to college and play ball for California State University, Fresno instead. In his first year as a center fielder for the Fresno State Bulldogs, Judge was named a Freshman All-American. He made the all-conference first team in each of his three college seasons. He also appeared in the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2012 and was increasingly recognized as a top prospect.
MLB Draft and Minor Leagues
After his 2013 junior year, Judge was chosen by the New York Yankees as the thirty-second overall pick in that year's MLB Draft. He soon signed with the Yankees organization, foregoing his senior year of college. Judge's professional baseball debut was delayed by a torn quad muscle, which sidelined him for the entire 2013 season. The following year, he started in the minor leagues with the Class A Charleston RiverDogs. He soon moved up to the Class A-Advanced Tampa Yankees, where he continued to play well.
In 2015, Judge started the season with the Class AA Trenton Thunder in New Jersey. His strong hitting earned him a mid-season promotion to the Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Pennsylvania. He also played at the All-Star Futures Game showcasing promising minor-league players from every MLB organization. He struggled somewhat at the AAA level, although scouts noted he had progressed to that level quite rapidly and was still adjusting to more advanced competition.
Judge remained with the RailRiders to start the 2016 season. He showed much improvement, hitting 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBIs) across 93 games. He was named to the Triple-A All-Star Game, although he sat out with an injury. Judge was then called up to the majors by the Yankees in August. He memorably hit a home run in his first major league at-bat. However, he subsequently struggled and was placed on the injured list after just twenty-seven big-league games.
New York Yankees Superstar
During spring training in 2017 Judge kept his spot on the Yankees' major-league roster, and he began the season as the team's starting right fielder. He quickly distinguished himself as a talented hitter, recording a .303 batting average and tying a rookie record with 10 home runs in the month of April. He continued to showcase remarkable power throughout the season, finishing with a rookie-record (and AL-leading) 52 home runs. He also had the longest home run recorded that year and the hardest-hit home run ever recorded to that point. In addition to his power hitting, Judge led the AL with 128 runs scored and 127 walks (although he also led all of MLB with 208 strikeouts).
Judge's fantastic rookie season made him an instant star and a new face of the venerable Yankees franchise. He was named to the American League All-Star Team and won that year's Home Run Derby competition. At the end of the season, he was awarded both the Rookie of the Year Award and an AL Silver Slugger Award (given to the best hitter at each position). He also finished second in voting for the AL MVP Award.
Judge continued to emerge as an MLB superstar in 2018, although he also began to face trouble with injuries, something that would become an ongoing concern in his major-league career. He missed considerable time with a broken wrist bone, but still finished the regular season with a .278 batting average and 27 home runs. He was again named an All-Star Game starter. He had a similar campaign in 2019, with various injuries limiting him to just 106 games. Judge nevertheless achieved highlights including his one-hundredth career home run, a milestone he reached faster than all but two other players in MLB history. The 2019 season also saw Judge and the Yankees win the AL East division with a strong 103–59 record and advance to the AL Championship Series (ALCS), although they lost to the Houston Astros.
The 2020 MLB season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge once again battled injuries and played just 28 games in the regular season. His average declined to .257 and he logged just nine home runs. He returned to form in 2021, however, when he finished with a .287 average, 39 home runs, and 98 RBIs. He earned his third All-Star selection and second Silver Slugger Award, while coming in fourth in AL MVP voting.
Judge then has a season for the ages in 2022, reaffirming his place as one of the top players of the era. Most notably, he made baseball history with 62 regular-season home runs, breaking the AL record previously held by Roger Maris since 1961. He also led the MLB in numerous other statistical categories, including runs scored (133), RBIs (131), on-base percentage (.425), and slugging percentage (.686), while posting a strong .311 batting average. The performance easily won him the AL MVP Award. He also received his fourth All-Star selection and third Silver Slugger award and was named athlete of the year by Time magazine, among other honors. Judge's stellar play came just as he reached free agency for the first time, and he was widely acknowledged as one of the most sought-after players available. He ultimately signed a nine-year, $360-million contract to remain with the Yankees; it was the largest free-agent signing and the third-largest contract of any kind in MLB history at the time. The Yankees also announced that Judge would serve as team captain.
Judge had mixed results in the 2023 season, as he again missed considerable time due to injury. His batting average fell to .267, but he remained a serious power threat, with 37 home runs in 106 games, and became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 250 career home runs. He was chosen for his fifth All-Star Game, although he did not appear in the showcase. Judge's talents also could not prevent the Yankees from struggling overall, and the team missed the playoffs altogether that year. The 2024 season brought something of a turnaround, as the Yankees stood at or near the top of the standings for much of the year and Judge returned to his MVP form, surpassing 50 home runs by late August.
Impact
Aaron Judge became one of the biggest stars in the MLB in the late 2010s and early 2020s, carrying on the legacy of the many iconic figureheads of the storied Yankees franchise. While he proved his talent on both sides of the ball, he became especially iconic for his immense power, as reflected by his many home run records. Judge’s great popularity could be seen in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium, where a section in right field was remodeled with wood paneling and dubbed “The Judge’s Chambers.” The team established a tradition of inviting die-hard fans to populate that section dressed in black robes and carrying foam gavels, celebrating each of Judge's home runs and other strong plays.
Most all-time great outfielders enter the majors at a much younger age than Judge did at age twenty-four. In just a few years, he logged several MVP-caliber seasons. Even early in his career, Judge was often compared favorably to such heavy hitters as Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Babe Ruth. When he broke the American League home run record in 2022, Judge cemented his place in the history of the sport.
Personal Life
In 2017, Aaron Judge still lived out of a suitcase in a hotel. He was afraid that he would be sent back to the Triple-A level if things did not go well with the Yankees. By the end of the season, however, he had rented a penthouse in New York City. Judge married Samantha Bracksieck, whom he met while attending Fresno State, in 2021.
In 2019, Judge launched his youth charity, All Rise Foundation, based in his hometown of Linden, California. The foundation’s mission was to help children and youth reach their fullest potential by engaging in activities such as baseball camp. For his philanthropy, the MLB awarded Judge with the Roberto Clemente Award in 2023.
Suggested Reading
"Aaron Judge." Baseball Reference, www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/judgeaa01.shtml. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Castrovince, Anthony. “Big Ticket: Judge’s Impact Goes beyond Power Numbers.” MLB, 10 May 2017, www.mlb.com/news/aaron-judge-impacts-in-many-ways-c229416164. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Feinsand, Mark. “Here’s How the Yanks Landed Judge in ’13 Draft.” MLB, 29 May 2018, www.mlb.com/news/featured/oral-history-of-yankees-drafting-aaron-judge-c278026828. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Goodman, Max. “Yankees’ Aaron Judge Turned 28; What Is New York’s Slugger on Pace For?” Sports Illustrated, 26 Apr. 2020, www.si.com/mlb/yankees/mlb/yankees/news/yankees-aaron-judge-28th-birthday-career-pace. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Hoch, Bryan. “Judge, Sanchez Win Silver Slugger Awards.” MLB, 9 Nov. 2017, www.mlb.com/news/aaron-judge-gary-sanchez-win-silver-sluggers-c261144856#. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Karels, Carter. “6 Things You Need to Know about Yankees Star Aaron Judge.” USA Today, 3 July 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2017/07/03/6-things-you-need-know-yankees-star-aaron-judge/447500001/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Rapp, Timothy. “Yankees News: Aaron Judge Launches All Rise Foundation Youth Charity.” Bleacher Report, 27 Jan. 2019, bleacherreport.com/articles/2817902-yankees-news-aaron-judge-launches-all-rise-foundation-youth-charity. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.
Reiken, Kristie. "Yankees’ Judge Becomes Fastest MLB Player to 250 Home Runs with a Solo Shot against the Astros." Associated Press, 1 Sept. 2023, apnews.com/article/aaron-judge-250-home-runs-yankees-89f6c9f6cdd4b5470c45c3c05adc6c47. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.
Walters, Tanner. “Who Is Aaron Judge? What You Need to Know about the Yankees’ Rookie Sensation.” Sports Illustrated, 6 July 2017, www.si.com/mlb/2017/07/06/aaron-judge-new-york-yankees-fast-facts. Accessed 4 Apr. 2021.