The Gripping Aaron Judge Detail Behind Cal Raleigh’s Derby Win

Forget launch angle. Forget exit velocity. If you ask ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez, the secret to Cal Raleigh’s Home Run Derby breakout might have been… Aaron Judge’s socks?

Yes. Socks.

On Tuesday morning’s edition of The Leadoff Spot on MLB Network Radio, Perez offered a theory you won’t find on Baseball Savant. According to the longtime analyst, Raleigh rocked a pair of “Tall Order” socks, the brand of gripping socks Judge wears and endorses. 

And, well, the results speak for themselves.

“It’s these Tall Order socks, right?” Perez said. “They have the treads on the bottom… even when they wash, they continue to have tread. High quality stuff.”

Raleigh, who put on a show Monday night in Atlanta, apparently wore the Judge-endorsed grip socks during his Derby run. 

“It’s taken the league by storm,” Perez said. “A lot of players are using it. [Cal] said it’s helped them with balance… I need to ask Aaron Judge about this, because there’s something to it.”

Now, are socks with built-in traction really the key to hitting tank shots into the Georgia night sky? Probably not. But baseball players are famously superstitious, and anything that adds “balance” at the plate is going to get some love, especially if it's got the Judge stamp of approval.