The Judge Era

When fans think of the New York Yankees, they probably think about Derek Jeter, Phil Rizzuto, Jazz Chisholm Jr., or the one player they all refer to as “The King of New York,” Aaron Judge. In December 2022, Judge signed a 9-year contract with the Yankees that included a no-trade clause. Currently, his contract is worth $360 million, and his average annual salary is about $40 million. He presently makes an estimated $7 million from endorsements alone. He even went as far as declining a $400 million offer from the San Diego Padres to stay a Yankee player. 

 As of Sunday, May 4, 2025, Judge is currently hitting a .423/.510/.777. For those who do not know, this means Judge is hitting a .423 batting average, .510 On-Base percentage, and a .777 slugging percentage. In their game against the Rays, the Yankees were able to put up 5 runs, upping Judge’s hitting streak to 14 games. Currently, he is leading the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS (on-base plus slugging), and is tied with Teoscar Hernández for the most RBIs (runs batted in). On top of all this, he currently has 11 home runs in the 2025 season and 326 in his career. 

As for his standings for each category, they scatter across the board. For batting average, he comes in fifth, just behind Barry Bonds in 1993 for the Giants. In OPS, he is tied for 15th with Teoscar Hernández. Another way to visualize how well Judge is doing this season, Pete Alonso is the only other hitter this season with an OPS over 1.000. Judge also has a 20.3% strikeout percentage, which seems to prove his stats are only getting better as seasons come and go.