Yankees News: Aaron Judge may be the best right fielder in the majors

The New York Yankees star right fielder Aaron Judge may be the best at his position right now.

Aaron Judge may just be the best all-around right fielder in the game today. The 28-year old New York Yankees all-star has battled his health in the last two seasons but has still put up numbers that put him at the top of his position.

In 2019, Judge only played in 102 games and accumulated just 447 plate appearances. Despite that lack of playing time, he ranks among the best among all right fielders.

According to Fangraphs, Judge ranked fifth overall in Wins Above Replacement among all MLB right fielders, tied with Bryce Harper at 4.6.  The crazy thing is, Haper played in 45 more games.

Of the players in front of him in WAR – Christian Yelich (7.8 WAR, 130 games), Cody Bellinger (7.8, 156 games), Mookie Betts (6.6, 150 games), and George Springer (6.5, 122 games) – only Yelich and Betts are pure right fielders, as is Judge. The others split time at other positions.

Not only that, but no right fielder in the top 30 in WAR played in as few games as Judge. In fact, of the top 30, only three others played in fewer than 122 games, and they ranked 18th, 25, and 26th.

New York Yankees Aaron Judge is the best glove men in right field in the game today.

As powerful as his bat is, the thing that sets Judge apart in right is his fielding prowess. Only Mookie Betts, in 354 more innings played, scored a higher Ultimate Zone Rating than Judge’s 12.7 in 2019. Even then, Betts just squeaked by him at 12.9. No one else was higher than 10.0.

In Defensive Runs Saved, Judge led major league right fielders with 20, tied with Bellinger. Betts was a distant third with 16.

Judge is only getting better in the field. He finished an impressive third in UZR in right in 2018, despite playing in only 112 games. That season, he led the majors again in DFS with 17, tied with Betts, who again had 212 more innings played than Judge.

He ranked sixth in UZR and fifth in DFS in 2017. He has been terrific all three seasons, but those numbers have improved each campaign, despite fewer games.

Health is the hurdle Judge needs to overcome. Betts, Yelich, and Bellinger have all been relatively injury-free.  Over the last three seasons, Judge trails only Betts in these defensive metrics.

Aaron Judge vs. Mookie Betts in defensive metrics

• UZR – Betts 49.6, Judge 27.2, next highest 19.8
• DFS – Betts 63, Judge 45, next highest has 27
• Innings – Betts 3,519.2, Judge 2803.2

Over these past three seasons, Betts has the edge, but Judge has closed the gap quickly. He has done so while playing 716 fewer innings.

Health is a skill, and right now, Betts and some of the other top right fielders have it, and Judge does not. That has to be taken into consideration.

What is exhilarating to contemplate, however, is what numbers, offensively and defensively, will Judge accumulate if he plays 150 games. He gave us a glimpse in 2017, at least with his bat. Add in the improvements he’s made in the field, and he could break 10.0 in WAR.

Obviously, it won’t be this season because everyone will be fortunate if baseball gets in 80-100 games. Still, Judge’s healthy upside is as exciting as anyone else’s in the game. Now we wait.

The New York Yankees have a gem in Aaron Judge. The goal now is to keep him healthy and on the field, and the sky is the limit for Judge!