Aaron Judge has the eyes of the MLB on his shoulders. And it’s not just because of the uncertainty about his future with the New York Yankees.
The slugger is experiencing a dream season in the Major Leagues in 2022, with numbers that put him among the favorites to win the American League MVP.
Judge leads the scoring departments with 91, RBIs with 97, slugging with .669 and OBP with 1.058. He is also third in hits with 120 and batting .303.
But more importantly, the 30-year-old outfielder has more home runs than any other hitter in the majors this year, with his 30 home runs.
Projections show he’s on track to beat the Yankees (and American League) record of 61 homers set by Roger Maris in 1961.
Seeing the unstoppable pace of the New York slugger, many wonder if he will be able to surpass the absolute mark for a season, set by Barry Bonds with 73 in 2001.
‘Is Yankees’ Aaron Judge’s ‘tremendous hairline’ a sign he’s handling pressure of chasing 60 home runs better than Roger Maris?’ by @RandyJMiller for @njdotcom: New York #Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is on pace for a franchise-record 66 homers… https://t.co/Dch1Xqa8lW pic.twitter.com/SCZDxyn0FT
— New York BBWAA (@NYBBWAA) August 2, 2022
If we stick strictly to the estimates, the answer is no. The projection of MLB and other specialized portals show that Judge is on pace to get 64 balls out of the park this year and with that he would fall very short. He may not even reach Mark McGwire’s 70 in the historic summer of 1998.
While you can’t underestimate the Bronx team’s slugger after everything he’s shown this season, it won’t be easy for him to set a home run record. He will have to settle for making history for the New York Yankees franchise.
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