Aaron Judge isn’t just chasing .400 anymore. He’s got his sights set on something even rarer.
The Yankees captain leads the American League in all three Triple Crown categories through mid-June – batting .390 with 26 home runs and 60 RBI. That puts him in position for baseball’s most elusive individual achievement.
Here’s the thing about the Triple Crown: it’s happened just 17 times in MLB history. Compare that to 36 seasons with a .400 batting average, and you get a sense of how difficult this really is.
The last hitter to pull it off was Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Before that? Carl Yastrzemski way back in 1967.
The Competition
Judge’s biggest batting average threat comes from an unexpected source. Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson is hitting .367 and showing the kind of contact skills that could make things interesting down the stretch.
The RBI race figures to be tight all season long. Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers sits three behind Judge at 57, and RBI totals can swing fast depending on opportunities.
Home runs present the most interesting challenge. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is tied with Judge at 26 and putting together the best power season by a catcher in baseball history.
Judge’s advantage? Raleigh squats behind the plate every day, and that workload typically wears on a player’s power as the season progresses.
Worth noting: you only need to lead your league in these three categories, not all of baseball. Right now Judge actually leads all of MLB in average, he’s tied for the overall home run lead, and trails only Mets first baseman Pete Alonso by three RBI.
It’s been a magical first half for Judge, and theirs genuine history within reach. The question now is whether he can maintain this pace through the grind of a full season.
That’s where things get really interesting.
