Has Another Playoff No-Show Stained Aaron Judge’s Yankees Legacy?

In 2024, Aaron Judge delivered one of the best regular seasons in MLB history, a performance that set high expectations for his postseason play. The six-time All-Star hit .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs to help lead the New York Yankees to the playoffs this year.

After the Yankees traded for Juan Soto and committed to younger talents like Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, New Yorkers expected a rejuvenated and competitive team compared to the squad that missed the playoffs last season.

Judge performed at a high level all year, thanks in part to Soto’s protection in the batting order. His 1.159 OPS was the best of his MLB career dating back to 2016. His 144 regular season RBIs were 14 more than Shohei Ohtani, who finished second in MLB in that category.

Yet, when it mattered the most, Aaron Judge got in his own head. He finished the postseason with 49 at-bats and only nine hits. He slashed .184/.344/.450, hit just three home runs and struck out 20 times.

Unfortunately for Judge, this wasn’t anything new. 

Aaron Judge’s Recent Playoff Performances

In 2020, Judge hit .133/.229/.433 in 35 postseason plate appearances. In 2022, Judge took 38 trips to the plate and hit .139/.184/.306.

The last time he hit well in the playoffs was in 2018, mainly against the Red Sox in the ALDS. But despite his slash line of .421/.500/.947, the Yankees still lost to their arch-rivals three games to one. 

Rings Matter

When we discuss the greatest players in the game, we often mention a player’s number of World Series championships. Despite making the playoffs in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024, Judge and the Yankees don’t have a World Series ring to show for it.

A big part of the problem for the Yankees has been that their best player simply hasn’t shown up when he’s been needed most in the playoffs.

Judge will probably win the AL MVP unanimously for his regular season. But he’ll be the first to acknowledge that he’d rather hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at this point in his career. He’s already added an MVP to his resume. The only things missing are a World Series and a World Series MVP.

Before Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, Judge was one of only two players (min. 200 AB) with a batting average below .200 in the postseason.

That changed after Game 5. He’s now hitting .205 for his career in the postseason after he came through with two extra-base hits (and two walks) in five plate appearances. The two hits included a monster go-ahead home run in the first inning and a double later in that game. 

Just As He Was Getting Hot…

Yet, when Judge finally began to get hot at the plate, he ultimately found another way to ruin his progress.

With the Yankees up 5-0 in the fifth inning and one man on, Judge misplayed a routine line drive from Tommy Edman and committed an error. That put two on base with no outs, eventually leading to a five-run inning for the Dodgers. His mistake was among many factors that led to the Dodgers’ getting back into Game 5 and eventually winning it.

When asked about that blunder, Judge admitted it “will stay with me until I die.”

His miscue was especially disappointing given that his glove was a major point in his favor when it came to bar chats about who was the better player this year: Ohtani or Judge.

Ohtani, for example, joined the 50-50 club as the first player ever to do so. On the other hand, Judge hit a league-best 58 home runs and 144 RBIs while playing the outfield for 118 games. That included more than 1000 innings in center field, some of it in the thick of the summer.

In the field, Judge added 279 putouts and started four double plays with two assists. Those aren’t wild numbers, but the fact that he didn’t make a single error all year until Game 5 of the World Series was quite impressive. Until it wasn’t.

Aaron Judge’s Legacy

Aaron Judge will still go down as one of the greats of this generation. He’s just facing more pressure than most because he’s this era’s captain of the New York Yankees.

Judge won’t ever be Yogi Berra and earn ten rings. He won’t come close to Joe DiMaggio’s nine or Lou Gehrig’s eight either. Don’t expect him to win seven rings like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. The expectation shouldn’t even be Derek Jeter’s five.

However, in the offseason, Judge and the Yankees must figure out what keeps going wrong so he can perform his best when it matters the most. Because since 2019, he’s done nothing but disappoint in the playoffs.

Once again, on the biggest stage, he got into his head. He heard the media and listened to the fans who decided to boo their MVP in Game 3 during his slump. Then, after the boos, the Yankees fans tried to cheer him on in Game 4, only for them to boo him again by his third trip to the plate in that same game.

It’s worth acknowledging that Judge didn’t get to jump on many mediocre pitchers in this year’s playoffs. That’s a valid argument. But look at all the pitchers he hit home runs against this past season. He’s had some clutch bombs off many quality arms. The pitching he faced in the playoffs wasn’t the reason he fell off.

In October, Judge struggled against breaking pitches. Specifically, when the Dodgers threw curves and sliders, his timing was completely off.

An unnamed American League scout told ESPN that Judge was potentially worrying about the big moment instead of just taking what the Dodgers gave him. The next time this happens, the scout suggested, he’ll have to look at taking the sliders down and away and pushing the ball into right-center field. 

Judge will have to take some time to reset and then come back next year with a plan that will allow him to produce at his best in the playoffs. 

Expectations Are Higher Heading Into 2025

You’ll hear about it when things aren’t going well in New York. In the playoffs, despite the Yankees’ early wins in the ALDS and ALCS, Judge could never relax from all the chatter.

That’s why being a captain in New York is a blessing and a curse.

Expectations are high. Fans will cheer until they turn on you in the blink of an eye. Like Jeter, those who block out the noise can come away as all-time greats. And luckily for Judge, he’s got plenty of years left to get one or two rings.

After all, you can’t ignore the season he had. Judge had more than 700 plate appearances and produced a .379 ISO and a wOBA of .476. His strikeout rate was high, but he also walked at an 18.9% rate.

If the Yankees want Judge to continue playing at this level, they’ll have to consider a couple of things. First, they’ll have to look into signing Soto to a long-term extension so Judge can continue batting behind him. The other train of thought would be to put Judge in the leadoff spot like the Mets did with Lindor. Personally, I’d go the Soto route.

We can only wait and see how much the Yankees will do to help Judge turn the page after an underwhelming postseason for this year’s likely AL MVP.