"Gets juiced baseballs" - Astros writer not buying Aaron Judge's continued success
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is a new brand of superstar. Seemingly incapable of not hammering home runs, the 6-foot-7 outfielder hit a single-season record when he logged 62 dingers last season.
Judge's historic 2022 campaign marked the second time in his career that he led the league in home runs. His first such season came in 2017 when he won the Rookie of the Year award.
The 31-year-old's 18 home runs in 2023 also rank him first in the league as we surpass the two-month mark. Also leading the MLB in slugging percentage and OPS, some are wondering if he will ever slow down.
Recently, Michael Schwab, a well-known Houston Astros writer, cast doubt on the validity of Aaron Judge's seemingly-unstoppable surge. In response to a post from the MLB Network sharing how Judge has hit more home runs than anyone else since 2017, Schwab posited that the superstar might be getting "juiced" baseballs to hit.
Doubt from around the baseball world was cast on to Judge during a series with the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-May. During an at-bat against his team's divisional foes, Judge was seen repeatedly glancing towards his team's dugout moments before clobbering his second home run of the game into the outfield stands at Rogers Centre.
Although the incident in Toronto was suspect, there is no real reason to believe that Aaron Judge is employing any dishonest tactics. The general consensus is that he is a natural-born elite athlete.
Aaron Judge hits a home run as the Blue Jays broadcasters wonder why he keeps glancing toward the dugout https://t.co/ZrOY7grbYV
"Aaron Judge hits a home run as the Blue Jays broadcasters wonder why he keeps glancing toward the dugout" - Jomboy Media
Being an Astros writer, Schwab likely has an inherent bias against the Yankees. Ever since the 2019 ALCS, a fierce rivalry has developed between the two heavy-hitting teams. The New York Yankees crashed out of the 2022 postseason on account of a sweep by the Astros in the ALCS.
Aaron Judge will only continue to face the haters
As much as people love to hate the Yankees, the hate levied against Aaron Judge is arguably less than fair. There is no evidence that Judge is getting pitched any sort of modified balls, and there is no proof that he has been cheating in any form till now.
Judge is the most threatening player in the MLB right now, and will continue to face his doubters and haters as long as he remains at the top.