The New York Yankees announced that they have re-signed four-time All-Star and 2022 American League Most Valuable Player OF Aaron Judge to a nine-year Major League contract extending through the 2031 season.
Judge, 30, hit an American League-record 62 home runs and batted .311/.425/.686 (177-for-570) with 133R, 28 doubles, 131RBI, 111BB and 16SB in 157 games during his AL MVP campaign with the Yankees in 2022. His 62 home runs were the seventh-most in a single season in Major League history as he became just the fourth Major League player to reach the mark, joining Barry Bonds (73 HR in 2001 with San Francisco), Mark McGwire (70 HR in 1998 and 65 HR in 1999 with St. Louis) and Sammy Sosa (66 HR in 1998, 64 HR in 2001 and 63 HR in 1999 with Chicago-NL). He also became just the second Major League player to hit at least 62 home runs and record at least 16 stolen bases in a single season, joining Sosa who accomplished the feat in 1998 with the Cubs (66 HR/18 SB).
In 2022, Judge led the Majors in home runs, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.111), extra-base hits (90), total bases (391) and WAR (11.4, FanGraphs) and tied for first in RBI (first in AL). He ranked second in walks (first in AL) and intentional walks (19, second in AL), fifth in batting average (second in AL), sixth in multi-hit games (52, fourth in AL) and tied for eighth in hits (177, fifth in AL). According to ESPN Stats & Information, he was the first player to lead (outright or tied) the Majors in home runs, runs scored, extra-base hits and RBI since Mickey Mantle in 1956.
Judge led the Majors in home runs by 16, the largest gap to lead the Majors in a single season since Philadelphia-AL's Jimmie Foxx (58) led the Majors in 1932 by 17 over Babe Ruth (41). Judge also led the American League in home runs by 22, the largest gap by any AL player since Babe Ruth (54) led the AL in 1928 by 27 homers over teammate Lou Gehrig (27). He also became the ninth Yankee to lead the Majors in home runs in a single season (outright or tied) and set the Yankees’ all-time single-season home run mark, surpassing Roger Maris (61 in 1961) in the penultimate game of the season.
Judge’s 391 total bases this past season were the most by a Yankee in the last 85 years (since Joe DiMaggio’s 418 total bases in 1937) and are tied for the 10th-most by a Yankee in franchise history. They were also the most total bases by any AL player since Alex Rodriguez recorded 393 total bases in 2001 with Texas.
In addition to being named the American League Most Valuable Player this past season, Judge also won the AL Hank Aaron Award and was named a Silver Slugger Award winner for the third time in his career (also 2017 and 2021). He was named a member of the All-MLB First Team and named Player of the Year by Baseball America, the Sporting News and the MLB Players Association.
Since 2017, Judge leads the Majors in home runs (216), ranks second in slugging percentage (.590) and OPS (.989), fourth in on-base percentage (.398), fifth in walks (463) and 10th in runs batted in (487) and runs scored (525). The Yankees outfielder has finished in the top four of AL MVP voting three times in the last six seasons (first in 2022, fourth in 2021 and second in 2017). He is also the only player in the American League to hit at least 25 home runs in five of the last six seasons.
Judge has played in 305 of the Yankees’ 324 games over the last two seasons (2021-22), leading the club and tying for 22nd in the Majors (tied for 11th in the AL) over that span. His 157 games played last season were the second-most by a Yankee in the last nine seasons since 2014 (Giancarlo Stanton, 158 G in 2018).
Over parts of seven seasons with the Yankees (2016-22), Judge has batted .284/.394/.583 (748-for-2,638) with 535 R, 121 doubles, 4 triples, 220 HR, 497 RBI, 472 BB and 40 SB in 729 games. His 220 home runs are tied with Ryan Howard for the most home runs through a player's first 729 career games in Major League history and his 11.99 at-bat per home run ratio (2,638 AB/220 HR) is the third-best in Major League history (min. 1,000 AB), trailing only Mark McGwire (10.61) and Babe Ruth (11.76). He has hit at least 25 home runs in five of his first seven Major League seasons, joining Joe DiMaggio (six) as the only two Yankees in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
The 6’7”, right-handed hitting outfielder was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2017 after establishing a then-single season rookie home run record. With his 52 home runs in 2017 and his 62 home runs in 2022, he is just the seventh player in Major League history to hit at least 52 home runs in multiple seasons, joining Mark McGwire (four seasons: 1996-99), Babe Ruth (four: 1920-21, ‘27-28), Alex Rodriguez (three: 2001-02, ‘07), Sammy Sosa (three: 1998-99, 2001), Ken Griffey Jr. (two: 1997-98) and Mickey Mantle (two: 1956, ‘61). He joins Ruth and Mantle as the only Yankees to accomplish the feat, and he is the only player in Major League history to hit at least 52 home runs twice within his first seven Major League seasons.
Judge has played 630 career games in the outfield, playing 562 games (521 starts) in right field and 102 games (96 starts) in centerfield, posting a career .991 fielding percentage (12 E/1,266 TC). Over the last four seasons (2019-22), he has posted a .996 fielding percentage, the fifth-highest mark by any Major League outfielder over that stretch.
Judge has made the postseason in each of the last six seasons with the Yankees, batting .211/.310/.462 (36-for-171) with 29 R, four doubles, 13 HR, 25 RBI, 25 BB and three SB in 44 playoff games, averaging one HR every 13.15 AB. His 13 home runs in the postseason are the fifth-most by a Yankee in franchise history and his four home runs in “winner-take-all” games are the most by any player in Major League history.
The Linden, Calif., native was originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State.