Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been showing great chemistry since the Spring Training. That’s great news for the New York Yankees. These two are the best hitters in modern-day baseball. If they stay healthy and go on to play the majority of the games, then it would be very hard to stop the offense of the Bronx Bombers from exploding all the time. The NY side has the three big superstar hitters – the Judge-Soto duo and Giancarlo Stanton. In the last couple of months, the fans have been lucky to see a few games when all these three big hitters sent the ball long. That’s what the Yankees Faithful would like to see throughout the season.
There is still a long way to go in 2024. Aaron Judge had a slow start to the season. He didn’t look like himself in April. But in May, he turned things around as in early June, the Yankees captain is leading the list of most home runs in baseball this season so far. On the other hand, Juan Soto has been consistent and is the top contender to win the American League MVP this year. Lately, a Yankees official told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the Judge-Soto duo might become the greatest left-right duo in baseball.
Can Aaron Judge & Juan Soto Become The Greatest Left-Right Hitting Duo In MLB’s History?
In the history of the NY Yankees, the greatest hitting duo has been Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They were spectacular in 1932, helping the Bronx Bombers win the “Big Dance.” However, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal pointed out that they were not a left-right hitting combination. Both Gehrig and the Bambino were left-handed hitters. Hence, they did not satisfy the criteria that Rosenthal was looking for. But both these players dominated the league in the 1920s and early 1930s in terms of OPS. Anyway, in the case of the left-right combo criteria, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto have been nothing short of “Magical.” On Thursday, Aaron Judge was leading the league on the basis of OPS+ with 201. His partner in baseball crime ranked second with 188 OPS+. Rosenthal tried to see who could top the Judge-Soto duo in the last few years.
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The athletics reporter pointed out Matt Olson and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, who ranked third and fourth last year. Then, there was the Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who came second in 2022. Moreover, Rosenthal went back to 1989 to find a pair to match the greatness of the Judge-Soto duo. Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell of the San Francisco Giants in 1989, and then in 1959, there was the duo of Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves. The Clark-Mitchell duo led in OPS+. But even they don’t come close to the Yankees pair. Judge became the first player this season to reach 4 fWAR. Again, Soto is right behind the captain with 3.8.
Judge-Soto Duo Must Stay Away From Injuries To Do Something Special
Prior to the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees enjoyed a clean sweep against the Minnesota Twins. However, in Game 3 against the Twins, the NY side got a scare when Juan Soto could not play the whole game due to forearm discomfort. Later, Aaron Boone said that the imaging showed it was “Inflammation.” He should be fine and get to play again soon. However, Soto did miss the series opener against the Dodgers. That’s what scared the Yankees Nation.
Now, they will be praying that he is okay. Anyway, the way Juan Soto and Aaron Judge started the ongoing season, they should end up hitting 40 or more home runs each this season. Then, that would be another history for the Yankees. If things go right for the Judge-Soto duo health-wise, they should join the iconic pair of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in the Yankees record books.
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