Aaron Judge is leading the New York Yankees to a memorable season this year. As a team, they needed a season of redemption. After all, they could not make the postseason in 2023, one of the worst seasons ever in their franchise history. Moreover, the Bronx Bombers had to deal with too many injuries, which slowed them down last season. Even this year, they were not injury-free. But 2023 was too challenging for the 27-time World Series winners. Moreover, the captain’s fitness plays a major role in the team’s postseason chances. Last year, Aaron Judge had to be on the 60-day Injured List owing to a torn ligament in his toe.
Later this year, in the spring training, the captain also suffered an abs injury. As a result, the 2022 AL MVP had a pretty slow start to this season. He took seven games to hit his first home run of the season. It is funny to think that now, as Aaron Judge is leading the Home Run list with 31 regular season games remaining this year. His teammate, Giancarlo Stanton, believes that Aaron Judge could break Barry Bonds’ 2001 HR record at some point in his career.
Giancarlo Stanton Believes Aaron Judge Can Have A 73 Home Run Season
On Sunday, the Yankees won 10-3 against the Colorado Rockies. Aaron Judge was extra special in that game as he hit his 50th and 51st homers of the season. This helped his team solidify their place at the top of the American League East division. But more importantly, the two home run game of Judge helped him get closer to breaking his own record in the AL. With 31 games remaining in the ongoing regular season, the 2022 AL MVP can go well past his 62 HR record. But can he break Barry Bonds’ 73 HR record? Lately, Judge’s teammate, Giancarlo Stanton, said that he believes the captain can make history.
In an interview with Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Stanton mentioned that the game changes, and so does time. Previously, 60 homers in a single season was a big deal, too. The Designated Hitter added, “60 and 70 were far-reaching numbers in the past.” But at present, the former MVP with Miami Marlins said that Aaron Judge can get past 70 HRs at the pace he is going. Moreover, Stanton noted, “Judge can do it for sure. All he needs to do is to put it together.” Currently, the California native is on 51 home runs, which is 10 homers more than the second-placed Shohei Ohtani.
Will The Yankees Captain Manage To Break Barry Bonds’ 2001 Season’s HR Record?
Brendan Kuty noted that in 2001, Bonds was hitting home runs every 6.5 at-bats that led him to 73 home runs that year. However, Aaron Judge is homering every nine at-bats in 2024. Hence, he might not be able to break Bonds’ record this year. But Stanton believes at some point in his career, Judge can surely break that record. Moreover, the whole team is looking at the captain’s form at the plate.
Aaron Judge is leading the major league this season, in several offensive categories, including Home Runs (51), OPS (1.202), and RBI (122). On top of that, the Yankees captain also has the second-best batting average with .333. Clearly, he is the top contender for winning the AL MVP this year, and that has led the team to enjoy the best record (77-54) in the AL so far.
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