Last week, Aaron Judge hit his 300th career home run against the Chicago White Sox.
Milestones are usually cause for reflection. A wedding, a graduation, a milestone birthday, but the same goes for baseball.
Judge was the fastest player ever to reach the 300 home run milestone, which is pretty remarkable considering he’s been such a dominant player in the sport since 2017, but has also missed a fair amount of time due to injuries.
One thing is certain: when Aaron Judge plays baseball, he is remarkable.
In his record-breaking 2022 season, he already holds the American League and Yankees home run record.
He is on track to win his second AL MVP award, and I would argue that his 2024 season was more dominant and impressive than his record-setting season two years ago.
Judge has become a more complete hitter over time, eliminating the flaws in his swing and becoming a guy who hits for power and average and is just the total package in every way.
Judge is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest Yankees of all time.
The numbers and the awards are there, but one thing is still missing.
A World Series championship.
Fair or unfair, Aaron Judge is compared to some of the best players to ever wear a Yankee uniform.
The numbers he put up in the first eight years of his career are similar to those of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle.
The difference between Judge and all of these players right now is that he is looking for the ultimate prize in October.
And look, Don Mattingly was an all-time Yankee. He was beloved, an MVP and a lifelong participant in Monument Park.
Mattingly is unfairly stigmatized because baseball is a team sport, but Donnie Baseball is always emphasized for never winning a World Series.
Aaron Judge still has a lot of baseball ahead of him. You’d think the more he knocks on the door in October, the more likely it is that he’ll finally reach the top.
However, you never know what the sports gods have in store.
Judge is at the peak of his powers. He has never been better.
The final piece of the puzzle is a postseason run in which he carries the team and gives the Yankees their 28th World Series title.
If Judge can accomplish this mission, we can finally say he has it all.
