What Other Sports Did Aaron Judge Master Before Entering the World of Baseball?

Some people are made for a career in sports. Natural athletes, their physique gives them an added advantage that would work well in most sports. At 6’7″, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is one of them.

The reigning AL MVP, Judge is a megastar in the MLB world today. Constantly impressing the crowds with fantastic moves, the New York Yankees star is a delight to watch in the outfield, even if some of his moves land him in trouble. A powerful hitter, Judge broke the record for most home runs in a single season in 2022. To most people, Judge seems built for baseball. But, before he chose to wear pinstripes for life, the Bronx captain was equally good at other sports too.

Aaron Judge was a three-sport high school star in California

A native of Linden, California, Judge had always had an impressive stature given his age. It ignited his love for sports as an athlete and when he reached high school, the Yankee played three games. In addition to baseball, there was also basketball and football.

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Easily notable because of his height, he was in the perfect position to play as a center on the basketball team. Not only that, but he also played as a wide receiver on the football team.

Judge’s habit of casually breaking records started early when he set new numbers for Linden High School during his time there.

Aaron Judge’s mind-blowing football stats are as good as a Super Bowl Champ wide receiver 

MLB’s Aaron Judge has a nice ring to it. But once upon a time, Judge could have belonged to the NFL. During his high school years, the Yankee captain set a record for 17 touchdowns and 969 single-season receiving yards.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Judge did it all on just 54 catches, with an average of 17.9 yards per catch. No wonder huge universities like Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA, tried to recruit him, although as a tight end. Even NFL GOAT Tom Brady was impressed. In an interview for his podcast last year, Brady went so far as to try to recruit the Yankee to the Buccaneers!

But while his stats can be easily discussed today, it was not an easy journey to play whatever sport he wanted.

Aaron Judge’s mom did not allow him to play football

In an interview with Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Aaron Judge’s football interests came to light. Before joining high school, Judge had already been a two-sport athlete juggling his studies. Talking to Betts, he revealed that when his school’s football coach laid eyes on him, he immediately wanted him on the field. Excited, Judge went home to tell his parents that he was joining the football team next.

READ MORE – 6′ 7″ Yankees Captain Aaron Judge Reveals How His High School Football Dreams Were Shattered by Mom Patty Judge

But his mom, Patty Judge, dashed all his hopes. She was reluctant to let him spend more time playing than focusing on being a student. When the teenage Judge kept up his grades, he was finally allowed to play football as a quarterback in his sophomore year. But unfortunately, that position never worked out.

Mike Huber, Linden High’s football coach, then made Judge change positions. “We made the decision to make him a receiver, which he became prolific at. For as big as he is—he was 225 pounds at the end of his senior year—he was still lanky and really quick. He could run,” Huber told Bleacher Report.

4x All-Star Aaron Judge had unbelievable stats that would’ve made him an NBA All-Star or NFL Pro Bowl receiver

A few videos from Judge’s high school days have popped up on the internet that show him killing the game at whatever sport he’s playing. Aaron Judge’s football days might have come to an end but clearly, news of his talent reached far and wide.

Judge’s basketball stats were no less impressive and true to form, he broke his school’s record on the hard court too. He led Linden High’s basketball team with 18.2 points per game and was an asset because of his height.

Nevertheless, however impressive Aaron Judge’s basketball stats, he ultimately chose baseball. After playing college baseball at Fresno State, he moved to the other coast to play with his dream team. Today, he leads them as their captain.

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