New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Could Do Something Only Ever Done Eight Times

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is on pace to put himself with some of the best in MLB history.

Jun 30, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

While the New York Yankees have struggled in recent weeks, now tied for first place in the American League East, none of the blame can be put on superstar Aaron Judge.

It's crazy to think that Judge, who hit 62 home runs in the 2022 campaign, is having a better season now than he did in his record-breaking year. However, one could argue that this is by far the best Judge the game has ever seen.

He's currently slashing .316/.436/.709, leading the league in OPS and OPS+ at 217. His 31 home runs, 82 RBI, and 23 doubles also lead Major League Baseball.

The only thing Judge doesn't lead the American League in is average when it comes to a potential Triple Crown. And as of Monday, he's only one point behind Luis Rengifo, who's hitting .317.

There's still plenty of baseball left to play, so winning the Triple Crown won't be an easy task. However, if there's one player who looks poised to do so, it's the California native.

Judge spoke about it with Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, but as usual, he said he wasn't focused on that.

“It’d be cool, but it’s just not my focus,” Judge said. “Like a lot of guys in this room, we don’t play for that stuff. We play to win. Anytime you put on these pinstripes or the ‘NY,’ you play to win. If that comes with it, that’d be great, but I think we’re all focused on getting the championship first.”

The captain has said time and time again that all he's focused on is winning a World Series. Yankees fans would love to see him add some hardware to his collection, but that doesn't matter if it doesn't end with a ring in October.

But winning the Triple Crown would put Judge in elite company. There have only been eight players in American League history to do so, and it hasn't happened since 2012 when Miguel Cabrera had 44 home runs, 139 RBI, and hit .330.

It'd be way longer if it weren't for Cabrera, as it hadn't been done since 1967 when Carl Yastrzemski did so.

For now, Judge will continue to focus on the present, looking to put his team in a position to win. Perhaps it'll be another season following him around, as he could be attempting to win the Triple Crown and break his American League home run record in the later parts of the year.