Judge can’t say he won’t hit 62 again: ‘You never know’
Aaron Judge didn’t rule out the possibility of shattering his American League single-season home run record he just set a season ago when speaking to reporters after the completion of the Yankees first full-squad spring training practice on Monday.
“You never know,” he said. “I don’t really like putting a number on it. I just kind of like going out there and trying to control what I can control, but you never know what could happen. So, we’ll see about 62.”
Judge surpassed Roger Maris’ record of 61 homers last season and was voted AL MVP, beating out two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. His record-breaking season led him to cash in on a nine-year, $360 million contract to keep him in the Bronx through the 2031 season.
“Last year was fun chasing history and having those moments,” Judge said. “Every time we play in New York I feel like you’re chasing history. It’s never a cakewalk in the Bronx, that’s for sure. You have to embrace those challenges.”
The slugger isn’t going into the upcoming season content with his accomplishments as the star intends to keep improving his game. Judge is known to hit the ball into the seats at any chance, but he also strikes out at a high rate, totaling 175 strikeouts last season — good for seventh in the Majors.
“I think contact rate is something I want to improve on,” he said.
Some hitters around the league attempt to avoid strikeouts by using a two-strike approach instead of taking big swings that are usually seen when pitchers are behind in the count. Judge’s teammate, Anthony Rizzo, is known to choke up on his bat as a twostrike approach, allowing the first baseman to swing quicker and make contact.
“I’ve talked to other big leaguers around the game that I admire their swing.” Judge said. “I was like, ‘Hey, let’s go out to dinner. Let’s hit in the cage. Let me pick your brain a little bit about what you do in the box.’
“There’s just some guys I’ve talked to that have some really good two-strike approaches and I might be mixing that in there from time to time.”
Judge also noted his intentions to win a Gold Glove award, an honor that has eluded the outfielder. Judge was an AL finalist for right field last season after spending time in center field and his natural position.
“There’s a Gold Glove in there somewhere,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll be this year or a couple years down the road, but it’ll get figured out.”