Aaron Judge’s first game back in the lineup did little to quiet the questions surrounding his production this season. While the New York Yankees won the game 5-3, their captain went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. However, an All-Star veteran just offered a different perspective on Judge’s numbers. The former NL MVP argued that the Yankees slugger is at a disadvantage in his own ballpark.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Aaron does it at a ballpark that is not fair to him,” Joey Votto said, as per Kalshi Sports on X. “If he were in a smaller ballpark or even a neutral ballpark, he would very easily have 70, 75, 80 home runs. He happens to hit pull-side homers in a ballpark that’s cavernous for a right-handed pull hitter.”
According to the Major League Ballpark Guide, Yankee Stadium is 4 feet shorter in right field. Judge is a right-handed hitter. While there’s hardly any doubt about his power profile, his pull side is left field, and according to Baseball Savant, the captain has a pull rate of 43.4% this season. That is higher than his 31.5% rate to straightaway center and 25.2% rate to the opposite field. That’s why Votto argues that the Yankees’ home ballpark is less favorable for the 34-year-old.
Stadium Dimension:
- Left field: 318 feet
- Left-center field: 399 feet
- Center field: 408 feet
- Right-center field: 385 feet
- Right field: 314 feet
In comparison, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has a distance of 310 feet to left field. Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros, and Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, are slightly longer at 315 feet. A few fans argued that stadiums such as Camden Yards and Comerica Park are significantly deeper in left field, measuring between 330 and 350 feet.
But Votto reiterated, “He’s, for me, very clearly the best hitter right now, and I would argue he’s the best hitter of all time.”
And that makes sense when we look at Judge’s numbers from before.
He had back-to-back 50+ home run seasons. He played 158 games in 2024, the highest in his career in a single season, and he recorded 58 homers. His best record is 62 from 2022, when he played 157 games in the regular season. He has a season average of 35 home runs, while he has recorded only 17 so far. But that isn’t hard to explain, noting that he has played only 60 games in 2026. So hitting 70 to 80 home runs in a season might not be too difficult for the star.
Aaron Judge currently has a slash line of .244/.370/.525, and he has an .896 OPS with just 38 RBIs.
The 8x MLB All-Star has been out for over 3 months. He suffered a rib injury back in April. After playing through the discomfort for over a month, the Yankees initially put him on a 10-day IL, but the stress fracture in his first right rib took longer to recover. Then, the club had to shift him to a 60-day IL.
In the initial stages, Judge was shut down from any type of baseball activities. He was only able to do weight training and outdoor running after the doctor cleared him in early August. His recovery escalated significantly since then, and he started bullpen sessions and catching shortly after.
Meanwhile, the Yankees had one of the worst offenses in the league in his absence. That’s why, once Judge was physically ready to return to game action, they reinstated him to the active roster without sending him on a rehab assignment.
“Aaron Judge is the most important player in Major League Baseball,” Votto said on Tuesday. “If he doesn’t come back, the Yankees, I don’t think, stand any chance going forward. Certainly not this year.”
While the captain did come back, he didn’t have much of an impact on New York’s win against the Colorado Rockies, but just having him on the roster is a huge boost, and insider Sean Casey admitted how his return immediately makes everything better for the lineup.
The fans agree with him, and they are happy to have Judge back. More importantly, they are not worried about the right fielder not performing well in the remaining games. Since the Yankees are heading for the playoffs, their captain can use the last few games as his runway before taking off in October.