Aaron Judge is making headlines in the MLB, and for good reason. The New York Yankees slugger is on a tear, boasting a staggering .401 batting average over the first 46 games of the season. With an on-base percentage hovering around .490, Judge is demonstrating that he’s not just a power hitter; he’s an offensive juggernaut, and that has baseball fans buzzing.
As of May 20, he currently leads the major leagues in several key categories: hits (71), on-base percentage, slugging (.751), OPS (1.242), OPS+ (248), and WAR (3.7). In the American League, he is equally impressive, sitting atop the charts in home runs (15), RBIs (41), and runs scored (43). These numbers have caught the attention of seasoned baseball analysts, with some, like The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, arguing that Judge is making a compelling case for being the greatest right-handed hitter of the modern era.
The statistics paint an intriguing picture, especially when considering the possibility of Judge challenging some historic benchmarks this season.
Ichiro Suzuki’s Hits Record
Judge’s current performance puts him in the conversation for Ichiro Suzuki’s record of 262 hits in a single season, set back in 2004 with the Seattle Mariners. Interestingly, through his first 46 games in that record-setting year, Suzuki had notched 68 hits—just three fewer than Judge’s impressive total.
What sets the stage for a potential chase is Suzuki’s spectacular finish in 2004, where he averaged an astonishing 1.91 hits per game from mid-July onward, and finished the season at .372. Judge, while approaching these milestones, finds himself with a pace of 1.54 hits per game thus far. Maintaining this momentum would be essential as he aims for a record that has stood for nearly two decades.
Barry Bonds’ Home Run Record
Turning to the long ball, Judge’s name is also often paired with Barry Bonds, who famously hit 73 home runs in 2001, a benchmark that remains etched in history. Since that season, only one player has reached the magic number of 60—Judge himself, who holds the American League record with 62 home runs in 2022.
What’s remarkable is that as of now, Judge trails Bonds’ 2001 home run count after a similar number of games. Bonds had already hit 26 home runs by this point, while Judge’s current home run percentage is around 7.1, his lowest since 2021. However, if history is any guide, Judge has the potential to ignite a monumental power surge, as we’ve seen him rattle off streaks of six or seven home runs in just one week.
The Verdict
Aaron Judge is stacking up hits at a remarkable rate, positioning himself as a serious contender to break both the hits and home run records this season. With proven power—reaching 50 homers in multiple seasons—he clearly has the skill set to aim for these lofty goals.
In contrast, both Ichiro and Bonds put together record-setting campaigns while maintaining remarkable health; they each missed fewer than ten games throughout their respective seasons. Judge has shown durability as well, missing only four games last season and has not faced any injuries this year.
If Judge can continue to excel while avoiding slumps, walks, and stays clear of the injured list, he might just rewrite some of the most cherished records in baseball. Even if he doesn’t shatter them this year, the pace he’s set puts him on track for one of the most memorable seasons in MLB history, solidifying his status as one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time, as observers like Stark have suggested.
