Legendary artist Frank Sinatra once said that "the best revenge is massive success." Decades later, his advice may pay dividends for a superstar who will hear the crooner's mellifluous voice after every home victory this season.
2024 might have been a legacy-defining year for New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge. But, it did not include the picturesque ending that he would have hoped for. Despite winning his second American League MVP award and leading New York to the postseason, the slugger struggled in October as the Los Angeles Dodgers bested them in a disastrous five-game Fall Classic.
With critics still lambasting Judge over his performance on the game's biggest stage, he will be highly motivated to help get his Yankees back to the World Series and avenge last season's loss. Such a mission will require him to be the best version of himself, and may help him win his second straight AL MVP.
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the favorites to repeat as MVP winners 🏆 pic.twitter.com/h0tm0Hhhn7
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 19, 2025
“Getting to the dance and then losing out on it is definitely a lot worse than not even getting in,” Judge said before the first full-squad workout in February. “So guys are ready to get back to work and get us back in that spot and rewrite the script."
Why Yankees captain Aaron Judge could be 2025 season's AL MVP
Judge's power, importance to the Yankees' lineup, and willingness to evolve and adapt at the plate will be key to a potential MVP repeat.
At his best, the 32-year-old is one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball. In 2024, he slugged 58 home runs, collected a whopping 144 RBIs, and earned an OPS of 1.159. Judge lead the majors in all three of these categories while also accumulating a league-best 133 walks.
It is clear that, when healthy, Judge will always be a threat to put up the kind of gaudy power numbers that win MVP awards. It is not a given that Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., or any other AL contender is capable of putting up the same raw stats.
"I've never made a roster, never made the big leagues. But yet the captain of the New York Yankees if going out of his way to make a guy like me comfortable"
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) March 23, 2025
Yankees prospect Sean Boyle with some HUGE praise for Aaron Judge💪#Yankees pic.twitter.com/OmhMoprg7Z
The 2025 Yankees' lineup will also look much different than last year's version. Juan Soto is now in Queens. Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and other current members of the roster may have serious peaks and valleys across a long campaign. As a result, Judge will be tasked with being supremely consistent.
While this is certainly a lot to ask of a player who is now a year older and has already had multiple monster seasons (and injuries), Judge's willingness to continually tweak his approach could be instrumental.
Just take a look at his Baseball Savant page — the sea of red there is unlike almost anything else in the sport, save for Shohei Ohtani. Notably, the six-time All-Star posted a strikeout rate of just 24.3%. This was the lowest mark of Judge's career, and a sign that he is simply not the same "boom or bust" bat that came into the league in 2016.
Additionally, the California native posted a .458 OBP in 2024. This was better than the .425 OBP he posted during his MVP season in 2022, and a career-best overall. It's one thing for a power hitter to draw walks because hurlers like to pitch around him; it's another thing once he develops one of the most patient, consistent plate approaches in the game.
Aaron Judge has already proven he's one of the best players in the sport. Even though his legacy may hinge on future postseason endeavors, he will be uniquely ready to attack 2025 with a fervor that may push him towards another MVP award.