2025 was the season that ensured Aaron Judge can no longer be tried by jury, as he has no peers. His third AL MVP, second consecutive, came in a campaign that is both historically remarkable, and also
kind of what we expect from him. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but his ascendance to arguably the most talented right-handed hitter of all time still earns him top marks.
Grade: A+
2025 Statistics: 152 games, .331/.457/.688, 53 HR, 114 RBI, 204 wRC+, 12 SB, 9.7 bWAR, 10.1 fWAR
2026 Contract Status: Under contract, $40 million
We should not expect ten-win seasons from anyone, yet Judge has had three such seasons in the last four years. You almost feel bad for all of the other exceptional players in the Junior Circuit — Cal Raleigh had an extraordinary year, José Ramírez probably cemented his Cooperstown case this season, Bobby Witt Jr. is as good a shortstop as this era of baseball has seen. They all play in the shadow cast by the main character of the American League.
Judge led the league in both mainstream versions of WAR, runs scored, walks (including a new AL-record 36 intentional), all three triple slash categories, and total bases. He flirted with a .400 chase while winning his first batting title, struck out at a lower rate than any other year of his career, and finally, finally had a postseason that met the standards of his regular season.
Yes, it’s only 31 plate appearances, but he hit .500 between the Wild Card round and ALDS against the Blue Jays. His .692 (!) slugging in the postseason is actually a little low when his average is that high, but he certainly had his signature playoff moment:
I never like to say the word “deserve”, I think it’s kind of nonsense, but Aaron Judge deserved better this year. I don’t think the World Series meltdown last year was his fault alone, but certainly he was the face of it with that dropped catch in that doomed fifth inning. This year he was the only thing that went right in the playoffs — well, him and Cam Schlittler. The lefty 1-2 combo atop the rotation couldn’t hold down opposing lineups, and while Judge got on base 18 times out of those 31 PAs, nobody behind him was particularly interested in driving him in.
Ultimately Aaron Judge’s legacy will be determined by winning a ring, if not multiple. Two years ago we ranked him the 16th-greatest Yankee in franchise history, and in the pair of seasons since he’s hit .326/.457/.695. He is the second-best hitter in the history of the Bronx by wRC+, with the fourth-most home runs, and he will likely pass Yogi Berra in career WAR next season. The game’s richest prize, and the benchmark for Yankee greatness, still eludes him.
I never liked that line in Moneyball, “if you lose the last game of the season, nobody cares”. I get that’s the standard the Yankees set for themselves, and indeed that Judge seems to fully follow. I just care, a lot, about the six months that come before that final loss of the season. I care that there hasn’t been a player in my lifetime that leaves me shaking my head in awe as often as Aaron Judge does.
He’s the best player in baseball, and at the top of the class. I can’t wait to see how he surpasses my expectations next.
