Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees are in the World Series for the first time in the centerfielder’s career. His regular season was spectacular, with 58 home runs and likely another AL MVP. His postseason has been up and down, but a clutch home run in the ALCS has fans hoping he has found his stroke. Before the World Series begins, we will reveal our Aaron Judge bold predictions.
This is far from Judge’s first experience in the playoffs but, so far, his most successful. Coming into October, he was hitting .211 in 44 postseason games. His 13 home runs and 25 RBIs were overshadowed by his 66 strikeouts. That trend continued in the ALDS, as the Royals were able to hold the Yankees captain without a home run. He had two hits in 13 at-bats, five walks, and five strikeouts.
The Guardians were not able to contain Judge with the same success. His Game 3 home run off Emmanuel Clase tied the game, and he had two other hits in the five-game set. He struck out eight times and walked six while posting a .761 OPS. If the Yankees get regular-season Judge in the World Series, they will have tremendous success. With that said, let’s look at those Aaron Judge bold predictions.
Aaron Judge will hit three home runs
While Judge has struggled in the postseason, he has not struggled against the Dodgers. In ten games, he has eight home runs and 11 RBIs. That includes their regular-season matchup back in June, where he hit three homers and knocked in five runs for the Yankees. His domination of the Dodgers will continue in the World Series with three homers.
Judge’s home run slump will not last forever, despite his career-long postseason struggles. He had the longest homer drought of his career this season with a 16-game dry spell. Even though he has one homer in this postseason, this is very close to a homer drought. He powered out of that regular-season drought and will power out of this one.
Jack Flaherty got smacked around in his last start of the postseason and the bullpen games have worked sparingly. While the Dodgers have made it this far, they do have pitching problems. One of the home runs could come in a game where the Yankees get to their top arms and they throw subpar bullpen arms. There are plenty of ways to get to three homers in what should be a long series.
The Yankees’ captain will get a hit in every game
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The beauty of Aaron Judge is that his domination at the plate does not come just from power swings. He makes contact at an incredible rate, ranking second in the AL in batting average this season. That domination of the Dodgers will not stop at home runs, as he will get a hit in every game of the series.
Juan Soto was sensational in the ALCS, hitting the three-run homer that clinched the pennant. He hits in front of Judge and will likely be pitched around by multiple pitchers. Each of the Dodgers’ starters is right-handed and would rather face the righty Judge. Soto might get pitched around and Judge will get pitches to hit. When Giancarlo Stanton is rolling, you can’t pitch around both.
If Judge lives up to both of these predictions, the Yankees will win the World Series. While the Dodgers have a great lineup, the Yankees’ bullpen has been rolling in the postseason. Game 1 of the World Series is on Friday, October 25, and should be a great matchup between two bluebloods.