Aaron Judge isn’t just chasing records anymore-he’s chasing legends. With a third American League MVP award now under his belt, the Yankees’ captain is carving out a legacy that puts him squarely in the conversation with the most iconic names in franchise history. And if you ask former Mets GM and current MLB analyst Steve Phillips, Judge may already be on track to become the greatest Yankee of all time.
That’s no small claim when you’re talking about a franchise that’s produced Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Derek Jeter. But Phillips makes a compelling case, and it starts with context-specifically, how much the game has changed since Ruth and Roger Maris set their historic home run marks.
Let’s rewind. Ruth’s 60-homer season in 1927 came against just 64 different pitchers across 154 games.
Maris, when he broke that record with 61 in 1961, faced 101 pitchers. Fast forward to 2022, when Judge crushed 62 home runs to set a new Yankees franchise record-he did it against 256 different pitchers.
Nearly every one of them throwing high-90s heat, with wipeout sliders and elite-level stuff. That’s not just impressive-it’s a different universe.
Phillips summed it up bluntly: “When Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs, he faced 256 different pitchers in that season. All of them throw 98-99 [mph]. They didn’t do that back then.”
And that’s just one layer of the argument.
Judge isn’t just hitting home runs-he’s dominating in a way that holds up against any era. According to Phillips, when you look at OPS+-a stat that adjusts for ballpark and era to measure offensive production-Judge’s four-year stretch ranks third all-time.
The only names ahead of him? Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth.
And both were left-handed hitters. Judge, a righty, leads all right-handed hitters in that metric over a comparable stretch.
“You look at what Aaron Judge has done,” Phillips said on MLB Network. “He is arguably the best right-handed hitter to ever play the game. I don’t think there’s any question about that.”
Behind Judge on that OPS+ list? Just a couple of guys named Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle. That’s the kind of company he’s keeping.
Of course, comparing eras is always tricky. Ruth played in a segregated league.
Bonds, for all his statistical dominance, carries the shadow of PED allegations. Judge?
He’s doing it clean, in an era with more elite arms than ever, under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium, and with the weight of the pinstripes on his back.
And he’s not just putting up numbers-he’s leading. Since being named captain, Judge has embraced the role with the kind of poise and presence that reminds Yankees fans of the Jeter days. He’s the face of the franchise, the anchor in the lineup, and the engine behind the team’s postseason hopes.
So where does that leave us?
Aaron Judge isn’t just building a Hall of Fame resume-he’s building a case for a bronze monument out in Monument Park. And if he keeps this up, don’t be surprised if we’re talking about him not just as the greatest right-handed hitter in Yankees history, but as the greatest Yankee, period.
Yes, even ahead of the Babe.