How historic is Aaron Judge’s 2025 start?

Aaron Judge isn’t just off to a hot start—he’s on a dominant tear that has fans wondering if they're witnessing the beginning of one of the greatest individual seasons in baseball history.

The Yankees sit atop the AL East through 60 games and Judge has played in every one. He’s batting .389 with a 1.237 OPS, 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 88 hits, and a 4.7 WAR. His average, hits and OPS lead all of MLB. He also ranks third in home runs, just two behind the leaders, and trails only Rafael Devers by four in RBI. 

Judge is on pace for about 57 home runs, which would tie for 17th-most all-time. But what sets him apart is his rare blend of power and consistency at the plate. His slugging percentage is more than 100 points higher than Shohei Ohtani’s, who ranks second in the league.

The clearest path to being remembered for one of the all-time great seasons is winning the Triple Crown. Since integration, only five players have done it: Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski and Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera ended a 45-year Triple Crown drought in 2012 by hitting .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Mantle’s 1956 season featured a .353 average and 52 home runs, still the most ever by a Triple Crown winner. Judge could potentially become the first to win it with more than 52 homers.

Beyond Triple Crown talk, Judge’s 2025 season is drawing comparisons to some of the most iconic campaigns ever. Barry Bonds’ 2001 season remains unmatched with 73 home runs, a .328 average and 137 RBI. At this point in the season, Bonds had played in 55 games and hit .318 with 32 home runs and 60 RBI. Unreal by any standard.

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had their monster years during the steroid era. McGwire hit 70 home runs in 1998 and 65 in 1999 while batting .299 and .278. Sosa slugged 66 homers with 158 RBI in 1998, then hit .328 with 64 home runs and 160 RBI in 2001. Because of the questions surrounding that era, Judge may be competing with himself for the title of the greatest “clean” offensive season. In 2022, he hit 62 home runs with 131 RBI and a .311 average. He had 58 home runs, 144 RBI and a .322 average last year.

What stands out most this season is Judge’s improved contact rate. His strikeout rate has dropped to a career-low 21.8 percent, down from 24.3 last year. He’s crushing fastballs, hitting .482 against them, and handling breaking balls well too, batting .329, according to Baseball Savant.

Looking at recent history, two other fast starts compare the closet when factoring in the high batting average and solid power. In 1994, Paul O’Neill batted .391 through 60 games for the Yankees, though he finished with just 21 home runs and a .359 average in a strike-shortened season. Larry Walker may be the best comparison. In 1997, he hit .422 through 60 games with 18 home runs and 53 RBI, finishing with a .366 average, 49 home runs and 130 RBI. Though he fell short of the Triple Crown, that season remains underrated.

If Judge stays healthy and maintains this pace, his 2025 campaign could go down as one of the greatest ever. Playing for the Yankees will help cement its legacy, but whether he wins the Triple Crown or leads New York to a World Series title will ultimately shape how history remembers it.