So much about the New York Yankees over the last year has been about Juan Soto that one of the greatest seasons in baseball history was almost overlooked.
While everyone focused on whether the Yankees could re-sign the young slugger, Aaron Judge was quietly posting some of the best numbers ever in the game.
That is why he was voted the American League Most Valuable Player by the baseball writers and now, he has just been named Sports Illustrated’s MLB Player of the Year.
“So great was Judge in 2024 that there are only two places to find a season quite like the one he had this year: Judge himself and baseball necrology. Names like Ruth, Hornsby and Mantle are the competition,” SI senior writer Tom Verducci wrote.
In leading the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009, Judge led the majors in home runs with 58, RBIs with 144, OPS at 1.159, slugging with a .701 percentage, and WAR at 10.8. He also had the MLB’s leading on-base percentage (.458) and number of walks (133).
Verducci pointed out that Judge “joined Babe Ruth (1921) as the only player to hit 58 home runs while leading MLB in RBIs and walks.”
He also posted the highest OPS+ (223) by a right-handed hitter, breaking a record set by Roger Hornsby 100 years before. Judge also became only the third player to slug .700 while playing at least 100 games in center field, joining Hack Wilson (1930) and Mickey Mantle (1956).
Judge has won two AL MVP awards and holds the franchise record with 62 home runs in a season.
Unfortunately for Judge and the Yankees, his historic run did not continue in the playoffs.
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