NEW YORK — In an era when batting average is frequently dismissed as outdated, Aaron Judge has never stopped caring about it. Now the Yankees’ captain has elevated the statistic to new heights, standing as the tallest batting champion in Major League history.
Judge secured his crown with a 1-for-4 performance in the Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Orioles in Sunday’s Game 162 at Yankee Stadium, concluding the campaign with a .331 mark. The race wasn’t close: The Athletics’ Jacob Wilson and the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette both finished at .311.
“I just think trying to be a good hitter is infectious. It’s contagious,” Judge said. “One hit leads to another, and that equals more winning.”
Leading his Yankees into the postseason while bolstering his case for a third American League Most Valuable Player Award, Judge also paced the Majors in on-base percentage (.457) and slugging percentage (.688), among other categories.
Judge is just the third player to hit 50 or more homers and win a batting title, joining Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle (1956) and Jimmie Foxx (1936).
“He’s always a guy trying to get a little bit better and move the needle on adjustments he needs to make,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “He takes a lot of pride in hitting for average. I think it means a lot to him.”
That pursuit of consistency is hardly new. Judge said he grew up watching Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, noting, “Those guys always hit above .300. The power just came with it. That’s always been a goal of mine, to hit above .300.”
Judge is the first player since the Tigers’ Cabrera in 2012 to lead the Majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
“He deserves it. He’s such a good hitter,” said teammate Ben Rice. “To put up the kind of power numbers he puts up, and also be able to hit for average, it’s impressive.”
Adding a batting title to a trophy case that already includes two AL MVP Awards is an unprecedented accomplishment, given Judge’s size.
At 6-foot-7, Judge surpasses the previous record height of 6-foot-5, shared by Hall of Famers Dave Parker, Frank Thomas and Joe Mauer, along with John Olerud and Derrek Lee.
“The reality is, over time, you haven’t seen that many really tall people be great hitters,” Boone said. “There’s a great advantage if you can figure it out and become a good hitter, because you have strength and leverage that smaller guys don’t. But it is a testament to how good he is at his craft.”
It had been more than two decades since a Yankee claimed a full-season batting title. Bernie Williams led the AL at .339 in 1998. DJ LeMahieu won the pandemic-shortened 2020 race with a .364 mark in 50 games. Judge said LeMahieu sent him a congratulatory message after Sunday’s game.
“It’s unbelievable how consistent he is,” said teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr. “Guys are throwing 100 [mph] every day. It’s hard. It’s really hard. And to do it the way he does it — it’s not a soft .300, either. We always say guys hit a soft .300. He’s hitting an immaculate .300.”
Hitting coach James Rowson called Judge’s accomplishment “remarkable,” though not surprising. “Every day, he comes out and does something special. To watch a guy his size hit for that kind of average and power at the same time, it’s a rare class.”
Judge’s fixation on batting average traces back to his humbling first taste of the big leagues in 2016, when he batted just .179 over 27 games. He left that number at the top of his phone notes app as motivation, fueling the adjustments that sparked his ‘17 AL Rookie of the Year season.
This marks Judge’s third .300-plus campaign, all in the past four years. He hit .311 in 2022, rebounded from an injury-marred ‘23 to bat .322 in ‘24 and has now pushed his performance to new heights.
“I think the biggest thing is just playing more games, getting more experience, understanding game situations and what the team needs,” Judge said. “I’m trying to do what I can to help our team win as many ballgames as we can and put ourselves in the best position to win the World Series.”
