Aaron Judge is breaking records in September, but his resurgence could mean much more for the Yankees with the postseason approaching.
The way Aaron Judge is launching baseballs into the stratosphere again, you might think the Yankees rookie somehow flipped the calendar back to June. He’s walloped 13 home runs in September, the most he’s managed in any month this season. (Judge clubbed 10 round-trippers in April and June.) The two he collected on Monday – his seventh multi-homer game of 2017 – gave him 50 for the year, surpassing Mark McGwire for most home runs in a season by a rookie.
Judge has the AL Rookie of the Year Award all but sewn up, and he’ll likely get his share of MVP votes as well. The accolades are nice, but the Yankees will be excited to see their young phenom rediscover his power stroke for a different reason.
Barring a sudden collapse by the Red Sox this week, the AL East division crown is probably out of reach. Meaning the Yanks will in all likelihood have a date with the Twins in the Wild Card Game next Tuesday, Oct. 3.
By its very nature, a one-game playoff is a volatile affair. Any factor could tip the contest in one direction or the other. The way Judge is mashing at the plate right now, he’s the kind of player who could single-handedly lift the Yankees to where they want to go.
The trajectory of Judge’s season, with its peaks and valleys, is common knowledge at this point. He was staggeringly brilliant in the first few months, slashing .326/.449/.689 with 27 home runs and 62 RBI through June (76 games). Those numbers vaulted him onto the All-Star team as the American League’s leading vote-getter.
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Then came the slump heard ’round the world. In July and August (52 games), Judge hit .207/.359/.402 with 10 homers and 20 RBI. While he still drew walks at a healthy clip, the strikeouts continued piling up and Judge was no longer hitting the ball out of the park often enough to make up for it. The slide generated more than a few think pieces debating whether Judge was simply going through an extended rough patch, or if there was legitimate cause for concern.
This month, Judge has argued convincingly that he’s no fluke. He’s batting .307/.444/.893 in the month of September, looking every bit the juggernaut he was in the first half. That’s fun for fans to watch, but it’s even more gratifying for the Yankees to see their star right fielder successfully make adjustments and regain his form.
Judge has turned back into must-watch TV. Every time he steps to the plate you can’t help but feel he’s going to hit another one out. That’s an invaluable weapon for the Yankees to have in their corner as they approach a do-or-die playoff scenario, perhaps as much as their deep array of effective bullpen options.
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The Yankees can only take their season one step at a time, but if they’re fortunate enough to advance to the divisional round and Judge is still locked-in, then the wheels in your head can really start turning.