2017: The Breakout Year Paving Aaron Judge’s Path to Yankees Captaincy and Greatness

Aaron Judge remains a fascinating figure. The now-New York Yankees captain has perhaps seen the highest of highs, but even during those moments of glory, things were never simple for All Rise. Being the one who always exceeds expectations, Judge has been surprising baseball fans ever since he first stepped foot on the ballpark. Interestingly, his debut season gave the entire picture of what Judge’s career will shape up to be.

The historic debut of Aaron Judge isn’t unknown to anyone. He had perhaps the greatest rookie season since Mike Trout in 2012. However, the interesting part is how even that journey was filled with roller-coaster events. A tale of perseverance as much as it was of talent. So here’s a deeper look at Aaron Judge – the New York Yankees’ 16th Captain.

First step towards greatness: Aaron Judge’s first season in the major league

Hints of greatness were visible in Aaron Judge from the day he debuted in the Pinstripes. After two years of minor league play, it was on August 13, 2016, that Judge played his first major league game. It was against the Tampa Bay Rays and Judge played the right field. In his first play, Judge took a tremendous catch. But the real exciting part came when he hit the home run in his first at-bat. That was the sign of things to come and Judge followed that up by hitting another homer in the next game. 

However, the rest of the season ended up being a low for him. With an average of only .179, it seemed the slugger was flattering to deceive. But instead of feeling down, Judge took it upon himself to work on his skills. He found a personal hitting coach who identified his issues and slowly Judge found his rhythm. Then came 2017, the rookie season of Aaron Judge.

He started the season with a bang and hit 10 homers in April. Judge then hit another 7 in May and by July 7, he had hit 30 homers. That was the first instance when Judge became a part of the Yankees’ history – he broke Joe DiMaggio’s record of most home runs by a Yankee rookie. But that was just the beginning of accolades. By the end of the season, Judge had collected a whole bunch of them.

Awards & Honors: A look at Judge’s 2017 stats

To call Aaron Judge’s 2017 historic would be an understatement. That year was one of the reasons why Judge became “All Rise”. The slugger hit 52 home runs – the most in the American League that year and set a record for rookies. His 33 home runs in the Yankee Stadium were the most hit by a Yankee at home. The previous record-holder? The legendary Babe Ruth. But that was not it. 

Aaron Judge won the American League Rookie of the Year by a unanimous vote. He was named an All-Star and won his first Silver Slugger award. The slugger even won the Home Run Derby – the first time a rookie had done so. In all seriousness, Judge had arrived at the scene and was already going for the crown. The funny part? Despite how it sounds, this was not all smooth sailing for the rookie.

After the All-Star game, Judge had a huge slump for 37 games. In that month-and a half stretch, All Rise could hit at just .179. This created a doubt once again – was Aaron Judge again flattering to deceive? But then perseverance has always been the central quality of Judge and he returned to form just in time. On the whole, Judge slashed .284/.422/.627/1.049. 

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This was on the field, but off the field too, Judge had a massive impact. Judge became influential for the Baby Bombers – the generation of new-age Yankees.

Partnership with Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez: Aaron Judge’s influence in the Baby Bombers 

2016 was weirdly similar to 2023 for the New York Yankees. After a terrible starting months, the team gave up on the season and planning for the future. Just like in 2023, the Bronx Squad decided to give more opportunities to its rookies and top prospects. This suddenly created a group of hungry youngsters who wanted to prove themselves. Eventually, popular insider Bryan Hoch named this group “Baby Bombers” and wrote a book on the same topic. 

Players like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and Luis Severino were part of this group. These players were destined to replace the ‘Core Four’ and the likes of Alex Rodriguez. In a surprising turn of events, this young core of players ended up over-performing to a ridiculous level. 

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The Yankees, who had missed the playoffs in 2016, reached the ALCS in 2017. This was on the back of star-making performances of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. Then they followed this up with a 100-win season in 2018, where Gleyber Torres showed his talents. Judge’s influence on this couldn’t be underwritten as he was the undisputed face of this new-age New York Yankees squad. 

From Star Rookie to Yankees Captain: A Brief Look at Aaron Judge’s MLB Journey

As was visible in 2016 and 2017, Judge’s story has always been one of extreme ups and downs. This has continued throughout his career. After a record-smashing 2017, All Rise couldn’t replicate it in the succeeding 4 years. Owing to injuries and some regression, Judge’s performance went down. But despite that, the Yankees’ Face hit at least 27 home runs in each season barring 2020. 

This changed in 2022 in what was perhaps the greatest hitting season a player has ever had in the American League. Aaron Judge finally broke the shackles of inconsistent performances and maximized his potential. The superstar ended up hitting 62 home runs – the most by a player in the American League. For this, he became the AL MVP and signed a 9-year $360 million deal – the highest for a free agent till then.

Judge was well on pace to touch those numbers again in 2023, but then he got injured. But even in an injury-affected year, he put up 37 home runs. Now with a stronger team and a chance to play at his favorite No. 3 spot, just how high can Aaron Judge rise?

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