Introduction

     Just like Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge plays right field for the New York Yankees, who are the best baseball team in Major League Baseball history. 

    And just like Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge is a power hitter at the plate. As of June, 2025, Aaron Judge has 336 home runs in his career. The way he is going, he will probably hit a lot more by the end of the 2025 baseball season, and a lot, LOT MORE by the end of his baseball career!

    If you want to learn more, step up to bat and get ready to round the bases.  

Early Life

     Aaron James  Judge was born on April 26, 1992 in Linden, California. Did you know that Aaron Judge was adopted when he was only one day old?

He had a very normal and fun childhood, but when Aaron was 10 years old he realized he looked different than his mom and dad.  That's when they told him he was adopted.

   Aaron Judge was different from other kids because he was very big, he was adopted, and he was part black and part white, but he said “No one treated me any different.”

High School and College

   Aaron Judge was a top all-star athlete in baseball, football, and basketball in high school. In football, he played wide receiver and tight end. He set a school record with 17 touchdowns. He was recruited to play football in college by Notre Dame, Stamford, and UCLA.

   He was also a star basketball player and scored 18.2 points per game playing center.

   His best sport was baseball. He played pitcher and first base and hit over .500 with seven home runs. He was such a good baseball player that he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics when he was a senior in High school. He decided not to sign with the A's, but instead he went to Fresno State to play college baseball for the Bulldogs.

Draft and Minors

    After three seasons playing college baseball, Aaron Judge was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees in 2013. He was 6 feet 7 inches tall, which is very tall for a professional baseball player. He signed a contract with the Yankees for $1.8 million dollars.

    Aaron Judge played in the minor leagues for the Yankees in the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons. During these years he played for the Charleston RiverDogs, Tampa Yankees, Trenton Thunder, and Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. 

    Overall, he hit 57 home runs while he was in the minor leagues. However, he also struggled with a lot of strikeouts. He struck out in more than 27% of his at-bats.

Joining the Yankees

   On August 13, 2016, Aaron Judge finally got his big chance to play in the major leagues. In Aaron Judge's first at-bat of his first baseball game playing for the New York Yankees, he crushed a 446-foot home run to center field against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Rookie Year

    In 2017, Aaron Judge started his rookie season with the Yankees by hitting 10 home runs in the month of April.  He became so famous and popular that fans started to show up at Yankee Stadium wearing judge's robes and wigs. The fans created a section in right field behind where Aaron Judge played called the "Judge's Chambers."

    In his rookie year Aaron Judge earned the most All-Star votes in the American League and he won the Home Run Derby. On July 21, Judge hit a home run that almost travelled out of Safeco Field.

    He finished his rookie season with 52 home runs, which was a record for rookies. He also won the American League Rookie of the Year Award. 

Overcoming Injuries

    Over the next several years, Aaron Judge still hit a lot of home runs, but he had to overcome many injuries. In 2018, he fractured his wrist when he was hit by a pitch. In 2019, he missed many games because of a left oblique strain. The next year he had a strained calf which caused him to go on the injured list twice.

Adjustments For Hitting

     Aaron Judge made an important change at the plate in 2021. He moved his hands from behind his neck to the middle of his chest. This made him able to use his power in a stronger way by forming a slingshot motion.

     In 2021, Aaron Judge finally had a healthy season. He hit 39 home runs and won the Silver Slugger Award. Aaron Judge hit a game-winning single on the last game of the season that led the Yankees into the playoffs in 2021.

Highlights of Career

   In 2022, Aaron Judge had one of the all-time great seasons in Major League baseball history. He hit his 60th home run on September 20, to match Babe Ruth. He tied Roger Maris's American League record for the most home runs when he hit his 61st home run on September 28th.

    On October 4th, 2022 against the Texas Rangers, Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run to break the record for the most home runs in a season in the American League.  He also had 131 RBIs and won the American League MVP Award.

    After the 2022 baseball season Aaron Judge signed a contract to stay with the Yankees for nine more years for $360 million. It was the biggest contract ever when it was signed, and it will likely keep Aaron Judge playing with the New York Yankees for the rest of his career.

    In 2024, Aaron Judge had another great season by hitting 58 home runs and knocking in 144 RBIs. He led the Yankees to their first World Series in 15 years and he won his second MVP Award.

    Aaron Judge became the fastest player in history to reach 300 home runs in his 955th career game. 

    Although Aaron Judge is most known as a home run hitter, he also hits for a high batting average, batting over .300 in three of the last four years. 

     Playing right field, Aaron Judge is also a good defensive player. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2019 and the Fielding Bible Award in 2021.

Roberto Clemente Award

    Finally, Aaron Judge is not just a great baseball player, but he is also a great citizen who helps out his community. In 2018 he started the ALL RISE Foundation to help kids. Aaron Judge earned the Roberto Clemente Award in 2023 for his community work.

    The Roberto Clemente Award is one of the highest honors in baseball, given to a player who "best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, on and off the field."

    These are the reasons I think Aaron Judge is one of the all-time great all-star baseball players.