**Aaron Judge plays outfield for the New York Yankees and hit an American League-record 62 home runs in 2022.
***Latest News: Aaron Judge wins the second MVP award.
Aaron Judge joins New York Yankees legends after receiving his second American League MVP Award on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Judge got all 30 first-place votes, beating out Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Yankees teammate Juan Soto. “It means a lot, a lot of the hard work in the offseason, during the season, the ups and downs throughout it,” Judge said in an MLB Network interview. “Just the constant support from my teammates, the fans in New York, just everybody to help me get to this spot.”
Judge joins Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Alex Rodriguez as Yankees who have won two MVP trophies. In 2024, the slugger batted.322 and led the American League with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. Judge helped New York progress to the World Series, but they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two-way player Shohei Ohtani, Judge’s opponent with LA in the Fall Classic, unanimously won the National League MVP Award.
Who Is?
Aaron Judge, a six-time All-Star, has been playing outfield for the New York Yankees since 2016. The California-bred athlete, one of the tallest guys to ever play in MLB, demonstrated his incredible power by smashing a rookie record 52 home runs in 2017. After a few injury-plagued seasons, Judge stunned the sports world by hitting an American League-record 62 home runs in 2022. The outstanding player, who played in his first World Series and earned his second AL MVP Award in 2024, also works to aid youngsters via his ALL RISE Foundation.
Quick Profile
| Field | Details |
| Full Name | Aaron James Judge |
| Born | 26-Apr-92 |
| Birthplace | Linden, California |
| Spouse | Samantha Bracksieck (2021–present) |
| Astrological Sign | Taurus |
Early Life and Family
Aaron James Judge was born April 26, 1992, in Linden, California.
Judge’s real parentage and ethnic heritage are unknown, although he is multiracial. Wayne and Patty Judge, schoolteachers, adopted Judge the day after his birth. Wayne and Patty have an older son named John, who is also adopted.
Aaron told the New York Post that when he was approximately 10 or 11 years old, he began to notice physical distinctions between himself and his parents and discovered his adoption. “I was okay with it. It didn’t concern me since they were the only parents I knew,” he claimed.
Judge was up in Linden, a small town in northern California famed for its annual cherry festival, and he was often noticed for his unusual stature. “We kind of joked that he looked like the Michelin Tire baby,” said his father to the Post in 2015. “It wasn’t long before the four ounces of formula was just the appetizer, and it had to be the formula with the oatmeal to pacify him.”
Judge became a three-sport standout at Linden High School because to his exceptional athletic abilities and strong work ethic. During his senior year, he broke school records with 17 touchdowns and 969 receiving yards for the football team, averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game in basketball, and had a.500 batting average and a 0.88 ERA for the Mother Lode League-champion baseball club. Aside from sports, he spent two years on the student government and helped at his local church.
By the conclusion of high school, Judge had turned down offers to play football at Stanford University, UCLA, and Notre Dame in order to focus on baseball.
Baseball Career: College to the New York Yankees
Although he was picked in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics while still in high school, Judge elected to continue his education and amateur development at California State University, Fresno.
Judge performed well in his first two seasons for the Fresno State Bulldogs, earning selection to the All-Western Athletic Conference Team both times. However, his massive in-game power had yet to materialize, as he hit just six home runs over that time. Things started to change following Judge’s sophomore year, when he wowed the competition with his massive hits in the summer Cape Cod League, which brought together the nation’s best college players. That same year, he won the TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby.
Judge received all-conference accolades for the third consecutive season at Fresno State, when he hit.461 and led the team in home runs (12), doubles (15), and RBIs (36).
****MLB Draft and Leagues
Aaron Judge spent three seasons in college before being selected as the No. 32 selection in the 2013 MLB draft.
The New York Yankees picked Judge as the 32nd overall choice in the 2013 draft, and the agreement included a $1.8 million signing bonus.
Judge missed the rest of the 2013 season due to a quadriceps injury, but he batted well in the Yankees’ minor leagues the following year. His continuous growth earned him a spot in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, and by the end of the season, he was with the organization’s best minor league club, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League.
After batting.270 with 19 home runs in 93 games with the RailRiders in 2016, Judge was called up to the Yankees in the Bronx that August.
****New York Yankees
Aaron Judge, wearing the extremely high jersey number 99, began his professional baseball career with an amazing home run in his first two games for the Yankees. However, opposing pitchers quickly identified his flaws, and Judge’s hitting average had dropped to.179 by the time an oblique injury interrupted his 2016 season in September.
Judge played his first complete MLB season in 2017, when he returned from injury with 10 early home runs to win the American League Rookie of the Month Award in April. By May, fans were attending to games dressed in judges’ robes and wigs, prompting the Yankees to establish the “Judge’s Chambers” seating area in Yankee Stadium behind the superstar’s then-customary position in right field.
After an amazing first half of the season, Judge received the most All-Star votes of any American League player, making him well-known outside of New York City. He took advantage of the opportunity by winning the Home Run Derby over numerous other notable hitters.
After racking up strikeouts in August, Judge returned to break Mark McGwire’s rookie record of 49 home runs by late September. He concluded the season with a league-leading 52 home runs, 128 runs, and 127 walks, earning him unanimous AL Rookie of the Year honors and a second-place finish for MVP.
*****All-Star and Overcoming Injuries
After hitting 25 home runs in the first half of 2018 to earn his second consecutive All-Star selection, Judge homered against Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer in the midsummer showcase. However, Aaron Judge suffered a broken wrist after being struck by a pitch in late July, keeping him out of play until the final weeks of the season.
The slugger played just 102 games in 2019 because to a left oblique injury, but he blasted 27 home runs and was named Wilson Defensive Player of the Year for his excellent performance in right field. The next year, he smashed seven home runs in his first ten games during MLB’s pandemic-delayed season, only to be derailed by a strained calf that sent him to the disabled list twice.
Judge finally turned the page in 2021 by remaining healthy, save for a midseason bout of COVID-19. A slight dip in his power numbers was offset by a decrease in strikeouts and his improved contact skills (that is, his ability to make contact with the ball at bat). This was highlighted by the game-winning single that propelled the Yankees into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Overall, Judge hit a then-career best .287 in 2021, along with 39 home runs, resulting in his second Silver Slugger Award and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting.
*******AL Record for Home Runs
Aaron Judge hits his 62nd home run of the 2022 season, setting a new American League record, in an October game against the Texas Rangers.
Judge, who was in the penultimate year of his rookie deal, made headlines in April 2022 when he rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension from the Yankees—an offer that was far lower than the expensive sums granted to other superstars like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
It looked to be a good gamble, as the slugger began hitting home runs at a pace unprecedented in the game’s history. He hit 12 home runs in May, 11 in June, and 13 in July, winning the All-Star voting by about 400,000 votes over runner-up Mike Trout. And, although the Yankees faltered in the middle of the season, Judge virtually single-handedly maintained them in first place with his outstanding center field defense and.311 batting average.
On September 20, 2022, Judge hit his 60th home run, matching the great Babe Ruth, before tying Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League record with homer No. 61 on September 28. Six days later, he broke the AL record by hitting a leadoff home run in the Yankees’ last regular-season game. (Barry Bonds has the MLB record of 73 home runs.)
In addition to his 62 home runs, Judge finished just short of the batting championship with a.311 average, tied for the Major League lead with 131 RBIs, and topped all players in runs (133), on-base percentage (.425), and slugging percentage (.686)—the rate of total bases per at-bat—in his remarkable 2022 season.
********2024 World Series
After rejecting the Yankees’ long-term agreement earlier this year, Judge became one of the league’s most sought-after free agents after his record-breaking 2022 season. Ultimately, the slugger’s connection to New York prompted him to return to the Yankees with a nine-year deal for $360 million—at the time the richest free-agent contract in MLB history—during the MLB Winter Meetings. According to his agent, Judge rejected more lucrative offers to return, including a deal with the San Diego Padres for up to $415 million.
Aaron Judge also heard that he will be the Yankees captain. “I was just pretty taken aback because that is such an incredible honor,” he told me. “Looking back on the list of people who have had this distinction, it’s an honor. I’m very honored to be a member of this group.”
Judge’s first season under the new arrangement did not go as planned. He had a minor hip injury in April 2023, putting him on the disabled list for a short period of time. Then, in early June, the outfielder tore a ligament in his right big toe after colliding with a bullpen gate during a game against the Dodgers. Judge eventually missed 56 games for the club, and his hitting average dropped to.267, his lowest in a full-season.
However, 2024 saw a return to normality, with Judge moving from right to center field. He produced his second-highest home run output of 58 and 144 RBIs, leading MLB in both categories. In October, the Yankees won the AL East division and proceeded to the World Series for the first time in fifteen years. In the Fall Classic, they took against the Los Angeles Dodgers and their strong batter Shohei Ohtani.
Aaron Judge’s surprisingly quiet playoffs continued even throughout the World Series, with just 9 hits in 14 games. “Guys around me are doing their job, getting on base,” the Yankees’ slugger stated after Game 2 of the championship. “And I’m failing them, not backing them up.” The Dodgers ultimately won the World Series in five games.
Despite the championship loss, Judge won his second AL MVP Award, receiving all 30 votes, owing to a fantastic regular season.
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Stats, Height, and Weight
Aaron Judge is one of the biggest players in MLB history, standing 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 282 pounds. This has resulted in historic power at the bat, with Judge being the quickest player to hit 300 home runs (in just his 955th career game) in August 2024.
However, Judge’s skill is more than just home runs, as proven by his Silver Slugger Awards and 2019 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award.
- Batting average: .288
- Hits: 1,026
- Home runs: 315
- RBIs: 716
- Runs scored: 736
- On-base plus slugging percentage (OPS): 1.010
- Stolen bases: 53
- All-Star selections: 6
- Silver Slugger Awards: 3 (2017, 2021, and 2022)
Spouse Samantha Bracksieck
Aaron Judge married Samantha Bracksieck, his high school lover, in December 2021.
While Judge liked to keep his private life under wraps while in the New York City limelight, the media finally learned about his connection with high school love Samantha Bracksieck. After losing contact for a few years, the couple apparently rekindled their relationship in 2019 before marrying in Hawaii in December 2021.
Aaron Judge has stated that Bracksieck advised him to approach Yankees management in 2022, which resulted to his signing his current nine-year deal rather than signing with another club in free agency. “The discussions with New York were really not going anywhere. She was like, “Just call [owner Hal Steinbrenner] up.” Tell him how you feel. “Tell him what you think,” the judge replied.
Judge does not have children, but he is a dog dad to his two dachshunds, Gus and Penny. All three featured as cartoon versions of themselves in Rubble & Friends, a spin-off of the famous children’s program PAW Patrol. His wife contributed Penny’s voice.
Charitable Works
In 2018, Aaron Judge established the ALL RISE Foundation to inspire youngsters to “become responsible citizens.” Among its many efforts, the foundation supports a student leadership development program, provides grants to chosen areas, and runs a series of baseball camps.
Aaron Judge’s foundation helped Judge win the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award, named after the famous outfielder and presented to the player who “best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
Also in 2018, Judge served as the cover athlete of the MLB: The Show video game, becoming the first player to receive the honor following his rookie season.
