Aaron Judge is not only hitting for power but he's making the most of his at-bats as he is putting balls in play at a very high level. Judge is hitting at .392 this season, which is his highest batting average after 61 games in a season. It's not his own benchmark that he's eyeing to break, as his terrific hitting form has now put him in the list which involves elite of the business.
Which is the rare category that Aaron Judge sees himself in?
According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs on Thursday, Judge now sees himself second all-time in batting average for players who have 20 or more home runs in a team's first 61 games of a season.
His batting average of .392 puts his ahead of New York Yankees icon Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig. But, he is only behind St. Louis Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby.
The list involves:
1925 Rogers Hornsby (Cardinals): .428
2025 Aaron Judge (Yankees): .392
1957 Mickey Mantle (Yankees): .389
1930 Lou Gehrig (Yankees): .386
1956 Mickey Mantle (Yankees): .379
Passing the legends like Mantle and Gehrig in a stat which combines both contact and power takes lot of hard work. The 1957 and 1956 seasons for Mantle are considered to the among the best in Yankees' history. Gehrig's 1930 campaign was cited as one of the most productive in Major League Baseball.
Aaron Judge eyeing .400 batting average
To achieve .250 batting average is normal, to hit .300 is impressive, getting .350 is next level, but hitting .400 is something which has not been achieved in MLB since 1941, as Ted Williams was the last hitter ever to do so.
Aaron Judge is just .008 away from reaching the landmark. When Jim Rowson was asked if Judge can reach the landmark, the MLB analyst said,
If he does this, I mean, it's going to be astronomical numbers, right? But I wouldn't put it past him. There's nothing that I wouldn't say, 'Hey, this guy can't do.'
I don't think he's striving for necessarily .400, but I think he's striving every day to be the best hitter that he can be. And that hitter can definitely do it. It's possible.
Once, Ted Williams said that reaching .400 batting average is a very difficult thing to do.
In order to have that .400 a year, which is a wonderful year, everything has to fall in place, Williams said. You get cycles of good hitting, good pitching, you know? Everything has to fall in place - good year, bad - everything has to come in place.
George Brett in 1980 came close to breaking Williams' record as he hit .390 batting average. Only time will tell whether Aaron Judge breaks Williams' record in the ongoing season.