Yankees Aaron Judge proves last year wasn’t a fluke

 After turning in an MVP caliber performance last season, Yankees right fielder, Aaron Judge, proves he’s here to stay as one of the top players in the game.

Aaron Judge took the baseball world by storm in 2017, surprising many people across the league in his first full season with the Yankees.

Judge was called up to the big leagues in August of 2016 and struggled. He hit .179 and struck out in 42 of his 84 at-bats, while only walking nine times. However, Judge showed a lot of improvement during Spring Training in 2017, when he won the starting right field job.

In his first full season in with the Yankees, Judge slashed .284/.422/.627. He drove in 114 runs and set the rookie record for most home runs in a season with 52. Adding to his list of rookie accomplishments, Judge was selected by the fans to start for the American League in the All-Star Game, finished runner-up in the MVP race, and won AL Rookie of the Year.

Standing at 6-foot-7 and playing for the New York Yankees, Judge quickly became one of the most recognizable faces in all of baseball.

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But Judge wasn’t finished when the regular season ended though. In the American League Wild Card game, he went 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run to help the Yanks defeat the Twins. Judge struggled against the Indians in the ALDS, but he came roaring back in the ALCS against the Astros, crushing three home runs and driving in seven runs. The Yankees surprised a lot of people by their playoff run, but now we would see how the Baby Bombers would perform when the expectations are even higher.

The Fresno State University product picked up right where he left off to begin the 2018 campaign. Entering the All-Star break, Judge is slashing .276/.392/.544 to go along with 25 home runs and 60 RBIs. In all of Major League Baseball, he ranks third in home runs and fifth in fWAR.

Not only is Judge one of the premier hitters in the game but he has also established himself as one of its top defenders. He ranks fifth among outfielders in defensive runs saved and is also tied for second in assists by a right fielder.

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Judge will appear in his second All-Star Game on Tuesday night, where he is batting sixth, and playing left field. He elected not to attempt to defend his Home Run Derby title after going through some struggles after the All-Star break in ’17 that many people believe were caused by his strenuous derby effort.

Judge and the Yankees will begin the second half of their season on Friday, July 20 at Yankee Stadium where they will take on the Mets and try to overcome their deficit to the Red Sox in the AL East standings.