Aaron Judge: Examining the Yankees superstar's 2022 MVP Season

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was seen as one of the best players in the MLB entering the 2022 season. However, few could have guessed the heights to which Judge would ascend in the season. Fewer still could've anticipated that he would also make history.

Judge made his debut with the New York Yankees in 2016, after being drafted by the team three years earlier. However, after playing in only 27 games in 2016, he made a full-time spot on the team to start the 2017 season.

In 2017, his rookie season, Judge hit .284/.422/.627 with a league-leading 52 home runs and 114 RBIs. He also led the league in walks with 127, showing that he had sufficient patience to counterbalance his unreal power.

"Start spreading the news: Aaron Judge is back." - MLB

Judge continued to play for the Yankees, but did not reach numbers similar to his 2017 season for either of the next two years. He was not an All-Star in 2018 or in 2019.

Judge finished the 2021 season with the New York Yankees with a batting average of .287, and 158 total hits, setting career records in both categories. Following the season, the Yankees tried to re-sign Judge to a long-term deal but eventually settled on a contract worth $19 for one year to avoid arbitration.

2022 saw Judge hit his 200th career home run in July against the Kansas City Royals. In September, he hit his 55th home run of the year against the Minnesota Twins. This made him the fourth player in MLB history to hit 55 or more home runs and steal 15 or more bases.

As Aaron Judge hit more and more home runs, people started wondering if he would be able to break the single-season home run record of 61. The commonly accepted record is exclusive to players like Barry Bonds, who hit more than 61 home runs, but was proven to be using performance-enhancing drugs. The record was instead considered to be held by Roger Maris, who hit 61 home runs for the Yankees in 1961.

On Oct. 4, Judge hit his 62nd home run against the Texas Rangers, with his parents, Patty and Wayne in the audience, along with Roger Maris Jr. Judge finished the season with 62 home runs and 131 RBIs, leading the league in both categories.

"HE DID IT! AARON JUDGE HITS NUMBER 62!" - Talkin' Yanks

Aaron Judge was named the 2022 AL MVP. He was also named the captain of the Yankees, becoming the first player to carry the title since Derek Jeter's retirement in 2014. In December, the Yankees signed Judge to a nine-year deal worth $360 million, making him the highest-paid position player in history.

Aaron Judge is the center piece of the 2023 Yankees

If 2022 was any sort of indication, then opposing teams are going to have a tremendously difficult time keeping Judge in check. Likewise, with a contract as big as the Yankees gave to Judge, they can only hope he will at least put up similar numbers this summer.