MLB.com | Anthony Castrovince: I probably don’t need to tell anyone reading this, but Aaron Judge is the middle of an all-time offensive heater. Since 2022, the man has been basically unstoppable. But where does his run rank among right-handed hitters in the game’s history? There are a whole bunch of stats buried in this to try and quantify his greatness. Read to see them all, but here are a couple of my favorites. In each of Judge’s last three full seasons, he’s ended with a OPS+ of at least 200.
Since integration, other right-handed hitters have combined for a grand total of four such campaigns. Judge also has three seasons with an OPS+ of 200 AND at least 50 HR. In the history of baseball, there are… three other such seasons from righty sluggers. Folks, Aaron Judge is really good.
The Athletic | Jason Jones ($): Alex Rodriguez is a complicated guy. And a controversial one. Fifth all-time in home runs and a three-time AL MVP, A-Rod also admitted to using PEDs and was suspended for the 2014 season. Years after he retired from baseball, Rodriguez sat down and talked about the Hall of Fame and how therapy has helped him. Among the interesting things that came up, three different teams approached Rodriguez about playing one final season to get to 700 career home runs. A-Rod, obviously, said no to all of them, feeling it was more valuable to retire as a Yankee at 696 than to hit number 700 in any other uniform.
The Sporting News | Matt Sullivan: Speaking of former Yankees, there is one who may not be done with baseball yet, despite having retired from Major League Baseball. First baseman Anthony Rizzo might have a couple games left in the tank. Ned Colletti, GM of Team Italy for the upcoming World Baseball Classic (and an executive in both MLB and the NHL) has approached Rizzo about playing for Italy in the WBC. Rizzo is said to be considering accepting, with the upcoming tournament serving as the coda to his long and distinguished career.
MLB Trade Rumors | Mark Polishuk: Rizzo isn’t the only former Yankee who has hung up his cleats from The Show. Sunday, former Yankee pitcher Andrew Heaney announced he is retiring. The southpaw, the ninth overall pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft, came to New York at the Trade Deadline in 2021. Upon donning pinstripes, he pitched to a 7.32 ERA in 35.2 innings, with his most memorable time on the mound coming in the fireworks of the Field of Dreams Game. To add insult to injury, he was outstanding for the hated Dodgers the following season, boasting a 3.10 ERA in 72.2 innings (they at least lost to the Padres in the NLDS). You can’t predict baseball, Suzyn. Seriously though, congratulations to Andrew Heaney on a long career, one capped with a World Series while he played for the Rangers in 2023.
