"Not when his team needed him the most"; "Should have stubbed his toe" - MLB fans react to latest Aaron Judge stat

Finishing the 2024 regular season with a .701 slugging percentage, New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge became the first qualified player to slug .700+ since legendary hitter Barry Bonds achieved the same feat back in 2004.

The MLB Network page on Instagram posted about the 32-year-old's achievement on Saturday, January 4.

Though Judge had a phenomenal regular season, he was a shadow of his former self in the postseason, as he batted only .184 in October. Reacting to the post, several fans were quick to point out his playoff woes.

"To bad it wasn't when his team needed him the most...IN OCTOBERRRRRR 🗣🗣🗣" a fan commented.

"Should have stubbed his toe before the playoffs," another fan wrote.

Screenshot of fans' comments on the aforementioned post (Image from - Instagram.com/@mlbnetwork)

"Dropped the ball in the W.S." another fan said.

"Still no ring," another fan wrote.

"Judge = not ready for prime time," another fan commented.

To add to Judge's inconsistencies with the bat in the postseason, he also made a defensive mistake in perhaps the Yankees' most important game of the season. Squaring up against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the Fall Classic and trailing the series 3-1, the Yankees had to win.

Having raced out to a 5-0 lead, it appeared the Bronx Bombers still had plenty of fight left in them. However, in the now infamous fifth inning of the game, Aaron Judge dropped what would have been a simple flyout. Eventually, one error led to another, and the Dodgers miraculously ran in five runs that inning, ultimately going on to win the game and clinching the World Series that night.

---

New York Yankees will rely heavily on more Aaron Judge heroics in 2025 season

Superstar Aaron Judge had a superb 2024 regular season, as he finished with a .322 batting average, 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. Guiding the New York Yankees to the AL East title, Judge was deservedly awarded the AL MVP award in November.

Though plenty of credit for the Yankees' success in 2024 can be attributed to Aaron Judge's exploits, superstar Juan Soto, who also had quite an incredible season himself, also shouldered a huge chunk of the responsibility.

Kansas City Royals v New York Yankees - Source: Getty

With Soto now having signed with cross-town rivals, the New York Mets, Aaron Judge will potentially need to be even better than he was last season to ensure that there is not a significant drop-off in terms of the side's offensive quality.