Aaron Judge's College Stats: Journey of the Yankees Home Run King from Mediocre High School Player to Leading MVP Candidate

I am sure you have heard by now, but there is a new home run king in the American League, his name is Aaron Judge. The 6'7" right fielder for the New York Yankees had one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history, with Judge surpassing Roger Maris for the franchise and the American League's single-season home run record with 62.

"62 Home runs. Congratulations Aaron Judge" - Jim Amann

While Judge may very well lock up his first career MVP award, the New York Yankees have fallen to a 2-0 ALCS deficit against their rival Houston Astros. If he is hoping to add his first World Series championship to his resume, Judge and the rest of the Yankees will need to pick up a must-win victory on Saturday in New York.

It's hard to imagine now, but Aaron Judge was not always destined for greatness in the Majors. As a prospect, his raw power and fielding ability caught the eye of scouts, but his size drew concerns for his longevity in the league.

"Aaron Judge: Little League, High School, College, Majors" - Darren Rovell

According to a scouting report from www.baseballprospectus.com, "Judge doesn't profile as an impact, middle-of-the-order hitter, but he does enough things well that should be an everyday player." While the report would go on to say that Aaron could become a solid performer if he learned to use his size correctly, the assumption was that he would never excel in any facet of the game.

While hindsight is 20/20, the prospect report was quite accurate based on his college production. In 169 college games for Fresno State, Judge would only manage to hit 18 home runs with 93 RBIs, but he did have an impressive .345 batting average.

Throughout his career, Judge has made adjustments to his hand position and swing to help cut down on strikeouts, as well as improve his comfortability at the plate. Judge says his new hand positioning led to him not feeling “bound up or tense at the plate.”

A look at Aaron Judge's historic 2022 season

On October 4th, Judge hit his 62nd home run to a roaring crowd at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The record-breaking home run was the cherry on top of his potential MVP season.

"AARON JUDGE IS YOUR AL FUCKING MVP" - Jonny's Lasagna

The Yankees outfielder finished the season with 62 home runs, 131 RBIs, and a .311 batting average. This production helped the Yankees cruise to the AL East division title with a record of 99-63.