Aaron Judge Credits This Swing Adjustment for His Staggering Success

One seemingly minor swing adjustment has made a world of difference for Aaron Judge this season.

Aug 11, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is a clear frontrunner to earn his second AL MVP trophy this season.

Judge's 42 home runs, 107 RBI, and 1.162 OPS heading into Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox are all leading Major League Baseball; the 32-year-old's .326 average would render him the league leader in all three MLB Triple Crown categories if Kansas City Royals' superstar Bobby Witt Jr. was not hitting a superior .346.

The incredible offensive season Judge is putting together is made even more impressive given that he had a .207 average with just six home runs in his first 31 games, according to Sportico.

Judge then made a swing adjustment that completely turned his season around.

An August 13 article from Brendan Kuty of The Athletic wrote that, "On May 5, [Judge] walked to the plate to face Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal with two outs in the first inning. Instead of assuming his usual open batting stance — with his left foot angled toward the third baseman — he switched things up. He slightly closed his stance, pointing his foot more toward the pitcher. He also stood a little straighter."

Judge promptly smacked a solo home run to right-center field. Since then, he has been the best hitter in all of baseball.

"Judge said the change helped him with several things," Kuty wrote. "First, he said, it made him feel more comfortable. Second, it allowed him to be more effective against sliders and away pitches in general.

“Just staying on the away pitch a little better,” Judge is quoted saying of his stance adjustment. “A lot of teams, they love to throw slider away, slider away and then show heaters inside and then slider away — the same thing. Just if I start a little closed or a little more straight up, which is what I usually like to do, I can kind of stay on those a little better.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted, “In a way, [the stance adjustment] just simplified it for him, and made him really efficient in what he’s doing in the (batter’s) box.

"Along with that, we’ve seen great swing decisions," Boone continued. "He’s real calm up there in how he takes pitches, having an understanding of what he’s looking for and not trying to do too much with it. He knows he doesn’t have to swing harder or add more. He slows it down very well, and I think the stance and the position he’s in — from my standpoint and from my looking at him — allows him to be more efficient.”

Judge and fellow outfielder Juan Soto have carried the Yankees to a 70-50 record to this point in the season. But they'll need support from other teammates if they're to make a run at the World Series.