Sometimes, given the length of the season, its easy to miss or take for granted how good certain players are.Â
One of those is New York Yankees superstar . Judge is understated, rarely “flashy,” and has been the best hitter in baseball for so long that it feels boring or predictable to say so.Â
But that shouldnt take away from what hes done in his career, and what he continues to do through the early portion of the 2026 regular season. Once again, Judge is on pace to make history, just a few years after breaking the American League single-season home run record.Â
First, some context for how good Judge is as a hitter. From 2021-2025, Judge has hit with 540 runs batted in, 513 runs scored, and incredibly, 48 stolen bases. Thats despite missing 56 games in 2023 with an injury suffered after running into a wall at Dodger Stadium. Collectively, hes hit .306/.426/.649, a 1.075 OPS. Hes averaged 55 home runs per season. And again, that includes 2023 where he hit 37 in 106 games.
Using more advanced statistics, like weighted on-base average, a statistic that gives more credit for outcomes like home runs, he leads baseball by a wide, wide margin. Judges wOBA from 2021-2025 is .443. , in second place, has a .409 wOBA. For context, not one of Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuna Jr., or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are over .388 in that time frame.Â
By weighted runs created plus, a comprehensive offensive league- and park-adjusted statistic where 100 is league average, Judge dominates there too. His cumulative wRC+ from 2021-2025 is a whopping 193, meaning hes been 93% better than a league-average hitter. Ohtani is once again second at 165. , the highest-paid player in baseball, is 160.Â
For his entire career thus far, Judges wRC+ is 178, the third highest in MLB history behind Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. And yes, even ahead of Barry Bonds. Thats pretty darn good company. And in 2026, even after turning 34, hes somehow at it again.
In 2022, Judge hit 62 home runs, setting a new AL single-season record. In 2026, hes already hit 15 through 40 team games. Over a 162-game season, that puts him on pace to hit ⦠61 homers.
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The only two players to hit 60 or more homers multiple times in a career are Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, both of whom were linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Even the great Babe Ruth hit 60 or more just once. Should Judge reach that figure this year, hed become the first player, ever, to hit 60 home runs in more than one season without a PED association.
Theres a long way to go, and injuries or a slump could derail the pursuit. But what were seeing with Judge is not a typical “best hitter in baseball” run. Hes making a case to be one of the best two or three hitters in baseball history. And hes doing it in an era where pitching is better than its ever been.
The average fastball velocity in MLB this year is up to 94.6 mph. When the league moved into the Statcast era of pitch tracking, average fastball velocity was 93.1 mph. Pitchers are throwing harder than they ever ha
