Judge Keeps Getting Compared to Bonds, but One Former MVP Pushes Back

During a recent Bleacher Report livestream, the longtime Phillies shortstop was asked if Judge had entered "Bonds territory." Rollins didn’t shoot it down. In fact, he leaned in.

“I wouldn’t say it’s crazy, and I know why they’re doing it,” Rollins said. “Obviously, what Aaron is able to do at the plate is absolutely special.”

Rollins made it clear there’s still separation between the two.

Bonds, he said, had no holes in his swing. Pitchers didn’t dare challenge him. And when they did, they paid. Judge, on the other hand, still gets pitched to. He’ll still swing and miss.

“But Barry was just different,” Rollins added. “Whenever his name was announced, you stopped whatever you were doing to come watch this at-bat.”

Bonds was baseball’s last legend in the making for more than a decade, except his legacy was eventually torpedoed by the suspicion of performance-enhancing drugs.

But Judge is putting up Bonds-like numbers in his way. 

Aaron Judge is off to a historic start in the 2025 MLB season, leading the league in multiple offensive categories. Through 36 games, he boasts a .412 batting average, 12 home runs, 34 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.275, topping the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Notably, Judge has achieved a career-low strikeout rate of 20.3%.

But there are always going to be doubters. 

It does make you wonder sometimes why pitchers even pitch to him.

Rollins came of age watching Bonds. In his eyes, Bonds remains the benchmark by which everyone else is measured.

But Judge is the first player in 20 years who comes close.