American League pitchers would do well to avert their eyes. Aaron Judge is absolutely crushing the ball in Grapefruit League action.
The New York Yankees star hit a towering home run in Tuesday’s game with the Atlanta Braves.
That SOUND. Crushed. pic.twitter.com/pr3uDsZ82z
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 5, 2019
And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
As Dan Clark of The Big Leagues Daily pointed out, Judge is putting up numbers in spring training normally reserved for video games.
Aaron Judge’s early #SpringTraining form is ominous…
• 14 PA
• .462 AVG
• 1.885 OPS
• 3 x 2B
• 3 x HR
• 6 RBI— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) March 5, 2019
Judge said he was fully healed from the wrist injury that cost him much of the 2018 season. And by all appearances, he wasn’t lying.
Yes, hitters tend to be a little ahead of pitchers in spring training. That’s a given.
But these numbers go well beyond being slightly ahead of the curve. They also go beyond the relatively small sample size of 14 plate appearances. Judge is not just reaching base. He’s hitting the ball hard nearly every time he comes to the plate.
That’s a sign that he’s seeing the ball very well. And when Judge is seeing the ball well, it means bad times for opposing pitchers.