Aaron Judge is on the cusp of achieving an extraordinary feat in baseball history. With 16 home runs through 48 games this season, he's on pace to shatter the record for most 50-homer seasons, currently held by just four players: Judge himself, Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. This is a remarkable achievement, considering that no player has ever accomplished this feat five times. The question now is not if Judge will reach this milestone, but when. At 34 years old, Judge's current form and historical performance suggest that he's well on his way to becoming the first player to achieve five 50-homer seasons. His career-high in home runs is 52, and he's already done it four times, including in each of the last two seasons. With a 173 OPS+ and second in Statcast's Batting Run Value metric, Judge's dominance is undeniable. His bat speed, hard-hit rate, and barrels per batted ball rate are all elite, further solidifying his status as one of the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history. However, there are concerns about his batting average, which has dipped to .266 this season, down from .331 and .322 in the previous two years. Despite this, Judge's strikeout rate is similar to his 2023 season, and his bat speed hasn't slowed significantly. The real question is how long Judge's current form will last. While his speed has declined over the years, his bat speed and hard-hit rate suggest that he's not slowing down anytime soon. The challenge for Judge will be maintaining his dominance as he ages, but with his current performance, it's clear that he's on track to become the first player to achieve five 50-homer seasons. This is a testament to his skill, consistency, and determination, and it's a feat that will likely never be matched.
