Back in 2022, New York Yankees‘ star Aaron Judge didn’t just put together a good season—he launched a campaign worthy of Cooperstown chatter. With a jaw-dropping 62 home runs, he not only shattered the American League record but also drove in 131 runs, easily leading the circuit in both categories.
But in the race for the rare and coveted offensive Triple Crown, Judge fell just short. His .311 batting average was edged out by Luis Arraez’s .316, a mere five-point difference. It was like watching someone scale Mount Everest only to be stopped inches from the summit by a final, stubborn gust of wind.
Déjà Vu in 2024
Fast forward to 2024, and the script had an oddly familiar tone. Judge once again led the AL in home runs (58) and RBI (144), but batting average was his nemesis. This time, it was Bobby Witt Jr. who took the crown with a .332 average, outpacing Judge’s .322. Another Triple Crown bid, another razor-thin miss.
Still, if baseball is a marathon, Judge has been sprinting uphill in full gear—and smiling while doing it. He’s not just a power hitter; he’s becoming a genre-defying phenomenon, blurring the lines between slugger and batting technician.
Hot Start in 2025: Is This the Year?
Now here we are, early in the 2025 season, and Judge is rewriting the narrative once more. As of Friday afternoon, the Yankees captain is leading the American League in all three Triple Crown categories: a .400 batting average, 12 home runs, and 34 RBI. It’s the kind of start that turns heads and raises eyebrows, even in April.
“Aaron Judge is currently the league’s leader in batting average (.400), the league leader in home runs (12), and the league leader in RBIs (34). Can he become the first Triple Crown winner since 2012?” asked Fireside Yankees on X.
Aaron Judge is currently the league’s leader in batting average (.400), the league leader is home runs (12), and is the league leader in RBIs (34)👀
Can he become the first Triple Crown winner since 2012?😳#Yankees pic.twitter.com/lKB28rmS1D
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) May 9, 2025
It’s a fair question—because Miguel Cabrera’s 2012 Triple Crown has grown into something of a baseball myth, the kind of feat you hear about more than you expect to actually see again. But Judge is making believers out of doubters.
A Rare Breed
Picture a sledgehammer dancing ballet—that’s Aaron Judge right now. He’s not just clobbering balls into orbit; he’s placing hits with precision. Sluggers who regularly flirt with 60 home runs don’t typically hover around .400 batting averages, even in small samples. Yet, Judge is doing just that, an anomaly in the best possible way.
Of course, no one expects him to maintain a .400 average over a full season—that’s a unicorn chase in its own right—but that’s not the point. He doesn’t need to defy every law of baseball physics to make history. He just needs to stay one step ahead in each of the three categories. And right now, he’s doing exactly that.
Judge’s prime isn’t just good—it’s historically great, the kind of stretch fans tell their grandkids about.