Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees captain and prominent slugger, registered an astonishing offensive season in the 162-game stretch. He finished the regular season with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, and 1.159 OPS. Judge missed out on his 62-home run record by just four more long hits.
Naturally, the fans had high hopes for Aaron Judge heading into the playoffs. However, Judge’s numbers in the initial three games of ALDS have been massively underwhelming, which only adds to his playoff bust narrative. However, regardless of the slump, the New York Yankees reaffirm their belief in their captain with two more games to go.
Yankees Retain Faith In Captain Aaron Judge Amid Grievous Slump
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has yet to fully break through offensively in the 2024 ALDS against Kansas City Royals. However, his recent performance suggests he’s on the verge of doing so. Despite going 0-for-4 with a walk in the Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Royals in Game 3, Judge made solid contact, hitting the ball hard in several at-bats. His first out came on a line drive that left his bat at 114.4 mph but was caught by Royals superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. His other two outs were fly balls hit at 99.2 mph and 90.2 mph, showing that his swing is nearly where it needs to be.
Not only that, but New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson insisted that Aaron Judge is in a “good spot,” even though his only hit so far in the series is an infield single. This aligns with a recent pattern of quieter postseasons for Judge, but his ability to make hard contact gives confidence that a breakout is imminent. His teammate Giancarlo Stanton echoed this belief. “He’s definitely going to do damage. It’s only a matter of time,” Stanton said. Although Judge struck out in a key moment during the seventh inning on a controversial check swing call, players like Alex Verdugo noted that Judge’s swing looked better, with just slight misses. These small adjustments indicate that Judge is finding his rhythm, and with his power, a game-changing swing could come at any moment.
Judge Hits New Low In Postseason With Concerning Stat
One of the key concerns for the New York Yankees this October is the continued postseason struggles of captain Aaron Judge. The former MVP has gone just 1-for-3 in Game 2 and is batting .143 with four strikeouts across the first two games of the series. Historically, the postseason has not been kind to him, as Judge has the second-highest strikeout rate in postseason history at 33.9%, with 70 strikeouts in 178 at-bats.
This places him just behind Martin Maldonado, who has a slightly higher strikeout rate of 34.2%. While Aaron Judge has hit 13 home runs in the postseason, his overall slash line of .208/.311/.449 in 46 playoff games is well below his regular-season standards. Despite being known for his power and having multiple seasons with over 50 home runs, his inability to replicate this success in October continues to be a puzzle for the Yankees.
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