The past few years, especially since 2009, have tempered the expectations of Yankees fans, teaching them to never be too happy. Hence, even a solid winning start to 2024 wasn’t enough for the Bronx faithful to sit fully at ease. Unsurprisingly, concerns surrounded the Yankees camp (primarily among pessimistic fans) as captain Aaron Judge’s 2024 season began quite slowly and, frankly, rather unimpressively.
Still, the 2024 season was in no way telling the same story as 2023. Last year, a toe injury to Yankees captain Aaron Judge practically derailed the entire season. On the other hand, 2024 has brought new ‘dawg’ energy to the lineup with the additions of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, along with the rise of an exceptionally hot Anthony Volpe.
Supported by the in-form Anthony Rizzo, Jose Trevino, and surprisingly, Oswaldo Cabrera, who kicked off the season with some unbelievable surge, the Yankees found themselves well-equipped to manage and win even as Aaron Judge took some time to return to form.
Back in June 2023, Aaron Judge, while pulling off an absolute stunner in the outfield, crashed into a closed gate at Dodger Stadium. As a result, he managed to find himself with a strange toe sprain that sidelined him for 42 games and an injury that hasn’t quite healed yet.
Fast forward to spring training 2024, after a rather disappointing season where the Yanks couldn’t make it to the playoffs, Judge gets “mid-spring beat up.” The mid-spring beat-up turned out to be somewhat of a lie or a cover-up as news of Judge undergoing an MRI went viral the next day.
For all those Yankees fans who had their fingers crossed ever since they heard about the MRI, there was a collective sigh of relief: the results showed that Judge was fine. Yet, the discomfort in his abs led to Judge missing a few games from an important spring, and maybe that was what held back his performance at the beginning of 2024.
That was Judge's fourth HR in his last 7 games. He's reached base 3 times today and is 18-for-50 with six homers his last 15 games and, perhaps, putting to rest for good one of the early season's truly dumb narratives: "What's wrong with Aaron Judge???" after a slow start…
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) May 12, 2024
With an undoubtedly slow start to this season, there were a couple of premature calls from various fan quarters to send AARON JUDGE to Triple-A to get some at-bats and regain confidence.
However, last night, against division rivals Tampa Bay Rays, Judge blasted hit his fourth home run in the last seven games, and already the 10th of this season. He also reached base three times yesterday and, over the last 15 games, is hitting 18 for 50 with six home runs.
Furthermore, his OPS over the last seven games is an impressive 1.475, silencing any doubts about his form as he powers through the season.
Aaron Judge sends one out at the Trop 🌴#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/Vf2cloF8Ea
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 12, 2024
Consistently being the best hitter in baseball isn’t easy at all, and not every season can realistically be a 62-home-run one. However, history shows that a slow start doesn’t necessarily predict a poor season for Aaron Judge.
In 2022, despite a slow start, he went on to break Roger Maris’ longstanding record from 1961. Last season, even after missing 42 games, the towering 6’7″ outfielder still managed to hit 37 home runs. Now, with his current pace in 2024, he’s on track to at least match, if not surpass, that number.
How many home runs do you think Aaron Judge will hit in 2024? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
