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Could this Yankees slugger surpass 60 home runs again?
New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Could this Yankees slugger surpass 60 home runs again?

In 2022, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit an American League-record 62 home runs. Could he match or surpass that figure this season?

Through 85 games, the Yankees captain is already past the halfway mark. On Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, Judge blasted his 32nd dinger and went 3-for-4 in a 5-4 loss. In 2022, Judge  didn't hit his 32nd homer until July 16, via CBS Sports' Dayn Perry.

Per FanGraphs Baseball, Judge is on track to hit 60 homers. Keep in mind this metric includes a terrible April in which he posted a .220 batting average and only hit six home runs. In May and June, his batting average improved to .384. He crushed 25 dingers over those two months.

Judge could continue building off of the momentum and produce monster numbers throughout the rest of the season. Perhaps that's one reason oddsmakers believe he has a decent chance to break his own record. As of Wednesday, FanDuel gave Judge +400 odds to hit 63 or more home runs.

Whether he eclipses the mark or not, Judge has been remarkable this season, showing why he's one of the best power hitters in baseball history.

"Judge is better than ever, which is saying something for the American League single-season home run leader, former MVP and six-time All-Star," Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci wrote. "His competition is not his peers or even his former self. His competition is the greatest sluggers of all time."

Judge also has the Yankees (54-33) in the thick of the World Series hunt. FanGraphs currently gives New York a 12.8% chance to win the World Series this season, the best in the AL.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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