Aaron Judge has reached the 50 home run landmark, further cementing his case as a perennial candidate to earn the first MVP award by a Yankee since Alex Rodriguez in 2007.
But how close is he to cementing his spot as one of the great single seasons in Yankee history?
“I really thought we were past the point of every seeing a Yankee replicate, approach, in certain aspects exceed, Mattingly’s mid-80’s run,” BT said during Tuesday’s show. “While Judge is only in the low 20s in doubles, this is just insane what he does every night.”
Mattingly certainly was a doubles machine during his prime in the 1980s, culminating in a monster 1986 campaign in which he led the league with 238 hits, 53 doubles, 388 total bases, a .967 OPS and a 161 OPS+, all after an MVP season in 1985.
Right now, Judge has an OPS nearly 100 points higher than Mattingly’s 1986 season, while holding a 197 OPS+. But what about other top seasons ever? Lou Gehrig in 1927 was a machine, slashing .373/.474/.765 with a 220 OPS+. Babe Ruth’s 1920 campaign changed the sport with 54 home runs and a 1.379 OPS, and his 60 home runs in 1927 were eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with his memorable 61-homer campaign.
Five years before Maris made history, Mickey Mantle won the triple crown in 1956, and it was a half century later when Rodriguez hit 54 home runs and posted a 176 OPS+ in his 2007 MVP campaign.
But BT believes Judge can rival those greatest seasons of all time, and if it winds up being the last season for Judge in pinstripes, it would leave a wasteland behind for the Yankees to try and clean back up.
“If Aaron Judge wasn’t on the Yankees, they would be beyond boring,” BT said. “Where would the spark be?
“If Judge bounces, who is taking his place? The answer is nobody, but who is even remotely taking his place?”
Follow WFAN's midday team on Twitter: @TikiandTierney, @TikiBarber, @BrandonTierney, and @TheHoffWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)
