Apr 16, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Can New York Yankees Superstar Aaron Judge Finally Win Elusive Triple Crown?

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Tyler Maher | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Aaron Judge had another monster game at the plate on Wednesday night, powering the New York Yankees to a 4-3 win and a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium.

Judge paced the Yankees by going 3-for-3 with a double, two runs, a walk, and a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the seventh that won the game for New York.

It was the third straight multi-hit game for Judge, who's been insanely hot to start the season. Through 18 games, the two-time AL MVP is batting a ridiculous .409/.519/.803 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and 20 runs.

While a third MVP for Judge appears likely if he stays healthy, some fans are also starting to wonder if he can accomplish something that hasn't been done by a Yankees player in almost 70 years.

With Judge second in homers and leading the American League in RBI and batting average (among other categories), he's putting himself in position to potentially win the Triple Crown.

Aaron Judge leads the league with a .409 batting average

It’s not too early to put him on Triple Crown watch
— YankeesMuse (@YankeesMuse) April 17, 2025

While it used to be fairly commonplace, the Triple Crown has become exceptionally rare over the last half-century. Since Carl Yastrzemski won it for the Boston Red Sox in 1967, only one player -- Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera in 2012 -- has done it since.

Judge has come close in both of his MVP campaigns, missing out in batting average both times. He finished second in batting average at .311 in 2022, five points behind Luis Arraez. He improved to .322 in 2024, but still finished 10 points back of Bobby Witt Jr.

Winning the batting title would be the biggest hurdle for Judge, as he's never won one. He does have three home run crowns and two RBI crowns, however, so his elite power and contact skills make him a an exceptional candidate.

In MLB history, there have only been 12 Triple Crowns won by 10 players since RBI became an official statistic in 1920. Two New York players have won it -- Lou Gehrig (1934) and Mickey Mantle (1956).

Babe Ruth never did it, nor did Joe DiMaggio, Don Mattingly or Alex Rodriguez.

That's because winning the batting title, home run crown and RBI crown all in the same season is incredibly difficult. Most power hitters struggle to hit for average and vice versa.

That's not true of Judge, however, who's already topped 50 homers three times and has a pair of .300 seasons under his belt.

If Judge stays healthy and keeps his batting average up, there's no reason he can't win the Triple Crown this year.

This article first appeared on New York Yankees on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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