5 players who can rival New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge this season
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is having a historical season this year. He is currently the leading offensive force on a Yankees team that has the best record in baseball. The Yankees have a 58-23 record, which is a first in the American League East. They are 13 games ahead of the second-placed Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Judge is on pace for 62 home runs this season https://t.co/4qD1jHStWA
"Aaron Judge is on pace for 62 home runs this season" - Talkin' Yanks
The reason for the Yankees' success this season is that they have an extremely well-rounded team on offer. They currently lead the entire MLB in home runs, and have one of the lowest team ERAs in the league. Everyone on the team is performing well with Aaron Judge leading by example.
Although Aaron Judge is having a season for the history books, he is not alone. There are players throughout Major League Baseball who are putting up some absolutely insane numbers. Here are five players in the MLB who could potentially end up with even better numbers than Judge this season.
#5 Rafael Devers - Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is quietly having an outstanding season this year. Through 78 games played for Boston, Devers has a .327 batting average, and a .962 OPS. He also currently leads the entire league in hits with 104, and leads the American League in doubles with 27.
Rafael Devers is not Cal Quantrill’s biggest fan, and he just took him WAY deep!!!
https://t.co/3KhlfBsjQG
"Rafael Devers is not Cal Quantrill’s biggest fan, and he just took him WAY deep!!!" - Boston Sports Gordo
If he can keep this up, or possibly have a late-season flourish, Devers could have a season on par with Aaron Judge. It will be very interesting to see what Devers could do for the Red Sox this season.
#4 Jose Ramirez - Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez is currently putting up some great all-around numbers for the Guardians this season. In 75 games played, Ramirez is batting .289 with a .952 OPS. He also has 12 stolen bases already this year and is leading the American League in RBI's with 63.
He has also led the Cleveland Guardians to a very competitive position in the AL Central so far.
#3 Paul Goldschmidt - St. Louis Cardinals
Paul Goldschmidt has been absolutely dominant at the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. So far for St. Louis, Goldschmidt is leading the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. He is also leading the NL in hits with 101 in just 78 games played.
He is also the leading bat on a powerful Cardinals team, which is currently fighting for first place in the National League Central. If he can keep this up, he will definitely have numbers that can rival Aaron Judge this year.
#2 Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels
It is no surprise that the best player of this generation is on this list. After missing the majority of the 2021 season due to injury, Mike Trout looks as strong as ever this year. So far this season, Trout is hitting .272 with a .995 OPS.
He also has 23 home runs in just 72 games played and is well on pace to be in the AL MVP conversation. It is very likely that Trout will have numbers similar to Judge's at the end of this season.
#1 Yordan Alvarez - Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez is having a very special season for the Houston Astros this year. He is the only player on this list that arguably has better offensive numbers than Aaron Judge so far this season. He is at the helm of the Houston Astros offense, which has one of the best records in baseball.
Yordan Alvarez is statistically the best hitter in baseball. Read that again. Process. Digest. Accept. https://t.co/mcG2Xqqc5U
"Yordan Alvarez is statistically the best hitter in baseball. Read that again. Process. Digest. Accept." - Jared Carrabis
So far this season, Alvarez has a .310 batting average and a league-leading .653 slugging percentage. He also has the highest OPS in baseball (1.063) and has 24 home runs on the year. If he can keep these numbers up, he might just be the player who performs better than Aaron Judge this season.