‘I’m still Aaron Judge’: Why the Yankees’ captain believes he can turn it around
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge thought he had struck out again. It was his first at-bat during a Wednesday night matchup with the Oakland Athletics. The 99-mph fastball was at the knees, over the outside corner. A clear strike. No argument. The towering slugger began his slow walk back to the dugout, Juan Soto left standing at first base. Another wasted opportunity.
Until — a break. Finally, a break. The pitcher, A’s right-hander Joe Boyle, hadn’t come to a full stop. A balk. Soto advanced, and Judge was given another chance. The next pitch was another fastball in nearly the same spot. Judge was ready, and he launched the baseball over the right-field wall for a two-run home run.
The New York Yankees‘ dugout erupted. Judge bashed forearms with teammates. All rose at Yankee Stadium for the second time this season. The sequence was the kind of break that has eluded Judge for most of the season — but was it proof that Aaron Judge, the perennial MVP candidate version, is back?
“It’s not back yet,” Judge said. “It’s always a work in progress.”
TWO THINGS CAN be true: One, that a month is a small slice of a season, and two, that Judge has looked uncharacteristically off in the batter’s box for most of this one. After Thursday’s loss to the A’s, Judge is batting .186 with four home runs and a .693 OPS. The low came last Saturday when he earned a golden sombrero against the Tampa Bay Rays and, after the fourth strikeout, was booed at home.
“It’s a long season,” Judge said after hearing the fans’ displeasure. “I’ve had seasons where I start off worse than this in my career. I’ve had seasons where you start off hot and then you always hit a rough patch where you hit about .150 in a whole month … You gotta keep working, gotta keep improving and we’ll get out of it.”
Two key series against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and then the Baltimore Orioles, their stiffest competition for the AL East title, loom. And Judge isn’t the only Yankee slow out of the gate — Gleyber Torres was slashing .189/.288/.211 through Wednesday. Anthony Rizzo began the A’s series batting .235 with one home run (he hit two homers over the next two nights). Austin Wells, one of the unluckiest hitters in the majors based on hard-hit rate, was batting .132 even after a two-hit effort Wednesday.
The Yankees tend to score in bunches, which has also meant long droughts have been common. They have already been shut out four times this season. The driving force behind their 17-8 start has been, surprisingly, the pitching staff, even without Gerrit Cole.
“We’re missing the best pitcher in baseball and the staff is still able to do that,” Judge said, “it speaks volumes of the guys we got.”
All they’ve needed is some support — the Yankees are 13-1 when scoring at least five runs — and it’s Judge, along with his new teammate Soto, who hold the heaviest expectations to deliver. This year, new T-shirts — topical in this, another presidential election year — have appeared in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
JUDGE SOTO 2024
MAKE THE YANKEES CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Judge and Soto, arguably the most dangerous one-two punch in the majors, are the ticket the Yankees visualize riding to their 28th World Series title. Soto has done his part, bursting onto the scene with six home runs and 22 RBIs in his first month in pinstripes. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been waiting on Judge to produce to his usual level.
After missing time with an abdominal injury in spring training, Judge’s MRI came back clean, and he’s insisted that he’s healthy. So the 2022 AL MVP has started every game for the Yankees this season — 20 in center field and five as the designated hitter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone has used the DH spot as a chance to occasionally give the 6-foot-7 Judge a day off his feet, after Judge admitted in February that the toe he injured last season will require regular maintenance for the rest of his career.
Boone has stressed he isn’t worried about Judge. He has highlighted Judge’s patience — he ranks in the 94th percentile in walk rate — and work behind the scenes. The track record, he’s said, is too good.
“Just a matter of time,” Boone has repeated for weeks.
JUDGE’S EARLY STRUGGLES have prompted external examination. On Tuesday, MLB Network aired a segment breaking down the difference in Judge’s mechanics between previous years and 2024. The analyst concluded Judge’s hands have started higher this season, and he’s been falling off with his swing on pitches away rather than down and through.
That afternoon, Yankees first-year hitting coach James Rowson emphasized that he sensed Judge was on the brink of breaking out.
“He gets it,” Rowson said. “You come into the game and sometimes there’s some pitches that you might just miss or you get a count where you don’t quite square the ball up. So little things like that happen. Right now, they’re just happening a lot for him and you see them happening together.
“But, for the most part, I like where he’s at. I like the way he’s been working lately. And I feel like, you know, we’re gonna see Aaron Judge be Aaron Judge here pretty soon. So I’m not that concerned.”
In his first at-bat that night, Judge took a sharp slider down and away from A’s right-hander Paul Blackburn for a ball. The next pitch was another slider down and away. Judge took again for ball two.
“That’s a really good sign on just picking up the baseball early, seeing spin, recognizing, and being able to lay off,” YES Network color analyst John Flaherty said on the television broadcast. “You’ve seen Aaron through this tough stretch, even when he takes a pitch, that left hip is leaving. It’s a whole lot better tonight.”
Judge then saw an 89-mph cutter over the plate, a pitch he’s demolished over the years. Instead, he fouled it back. Boone had said earlier that missing those mistake pitches has been the foundation for Judge’s slow start.
“For me, it’s just about when you get your pitch, making sure we do damage with it, and get your swing off,” Boone said. “So he’s just been a tick off in these first few weeks.”
Tuesday, Judge recovered. Two pitches after that, he topped a sinker down the third-base line for a double. Moments later, Giancarlo Stanton smashed a two-run double. The Yankees had a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The next night, Judge’s home run put the Yankees ahead 2-0. It was the 261st homer of the Yankees captain’s career, and with it he passed Derek Jeter, the longest-tenured captain in franchise history, for ninth on the Yankees’ all-time list.
Judge hit the ball hard all game. He snuck a 99.9 mph groundball through the right side for a single in his second at-bat. He pummeled a 106.3 mph lineout to center field in the fourth inning. He smacked a 98.1 mph groundout in the sixth. He ended his night by grounding into a double play in the eighth. Exit velocity: 105.4 mph.
It was Judge’s first multihit game since April 13. With Soto’s sixth home run of the season in the sixth inning, the victory marked the first time the duo has homered in the same game as teammates. Boone joked that watching the tag-team homer made him feel “warm and fuzzy.” His captain is confident it won’t be the last time he has that feeling.
“I’m still Aaron Judge,” Judge said. “I don’t think that’s changed.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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