Day 282

Fresh Start_282: All Rise for the Honorable Aaron Judge
Can Aaron Judge really win the MVP? There is a whole argument about giving a pitcher the MVP Award and how it isn’t right because of the Cy Young Award, but does that same criteria apply to a rookie?

I was one of the many that were on the “Gary Sanchez for Rookie of the Year” bandwagon last September for the ridiculous month that Sanchez had last year. Judge in two months has brought himself to the top of the homerun leaderboard {18}, 5th in the American League {35}, a .319 batting average {7th in the American League}, and second in the American League in OPS {1.106}.

The stats people will also love Aaron Judge because of his exist velocity. Judge has the top two exist velo’s in statcasts history {119.4 on a homerun that went 435 feet on April 28th of this year, and 119.0 on a double on May 5th of this year}. It is unbelievable to think a rookie can do this in New York with a level head on his shoulders.

Everything about Aaron Judge suggests that he isn’t human because of how he answers questions when asked. How nice you are to the media won’t count on your MVP ballet, but if you’re giving a two month in MVP Aaron Judge has to be your winner.

Judge also isn’t just a homerun hitter like many of the players like him. Of course, nobody in the history of Major League Baseball has ever had Judge’s measurable’s. Judge is 6’7” 282 pounds; to put that in perspective—all of the players in the NFL that are 6’7” 282 pounds are lineman. So a lineman is running around the bases, making diving catches, and hitting 119 mile per hour lasers for the Yankees. Judge can hit to all fields and is in the top 10 for batting average, he is a complete hitter. Judge is a five-tool player, something the game hasn’t had on the East Coast in a longtime.   

Mike Trout has spoiled Angel fans and West Coast fans to boot for his entire career, so for the East Coast to have a guy that is this good at the game of baseball in a longtime. Yes, I know Derek Jeter only retired three years ago, but memorization that Jeter had on the game ended right after the 2009 World Series, when he showed he was human getting injured in the 2010 playoffs. I’m throwing my Yankee-basis out the window right now, just because of how amazing Aaron Judge is. When my dad and I were watching the Yankee game on Sunday, we watched until the end—watching Aaron Judge giving high-fives to his teammates after a 9-5 win, and my dad and I at the same time went “wow, Aaron Judge is a large human being!”

I haven’t seen Judge in person yet, but in just two months has carved out his own section in Yankee Stadium called “Judge’s Chambers.” Although the renaming a section of the stadium is just a cash grab for the Yankees, his impact to the AL East leading New York Yankees can’t have a price tag attached to it. Unlike Mike Trout, Aaron Judge is on a relevant team for the baseball writers to vote on. If Judge can just keep within 5 miles of the pace he has set out of the gate, he will still be in the MVP conversation come the end of September and take the MVP away from Trout because of the relevancy issue.  

Trout in baseball is like Lebron is basketball—he is the best player in the league and there is no question about it. But, people around the game were up in arms about the Trout MVP in 2016 because of how poorly his team performed. Judge will breakup that argument again if he can just be an ounce of what he has been so far in 2017. Plus, every time Judge steps up to the plate, you just want to know if Judge can actually hit the ball out of the ballpark. I am so excited to have a “large human being” to watch day in and day out, but I just can’t wait to see what Aaron Judge does next. So, I ask you—can Aaron Judge win the MVP?
Sources:(mlb.com, si.com, nydailynews.com)

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