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New York Yankees: Comparing Aaron Judge’s Rookie Season to Joe DiMaggio’s

By TJ Wengert

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 07: Aaron Judge (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 07: Aaron Judge (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 28: Aaron Judge
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 28: Aaron Judge /

As the MLB All-Star break begins, we take a look at the incredible first half that New York Yankees rookie Aaron Judge had and compare it to Joe DiMaggio’s rookie season in 1936.

Friday night, Aaron Judge’s remarkable rookie season continued, as he belted his 30th home run of the season.

This wasn’t just any regular home run. This one broke Joe DiMaggio’s record for most home runs by a Yankees’ rookie. DiMaggio’s record had stood for 81 years.

As Tim Kurkjian said after Judge’s 30th home run, “really incredible“. There’s honestly no other way to describe the stats Judge is putting up.

So in honor of Judge’s accomplishment, let’s compare his rookie season to DiMaggio’s and see how they stack up.

American baseball player Joe DiMaggio (1914 – 1999) hits out. Original Publication: People Disc – HC0062 (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
American baseball player Joe DiMaggio (1914 – 1999) hits out. Original Publication: People Disc – HC0062 (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /

In DiMaggio’s rookie year he played in 138 games, logging 637 at-bats. In that season, DiMaggio hit .323 with 29 home runs and 125 RBI, finishing eighth in the MVP race (crazy to think seven players had better seasons than that).

Comparing that to Judge’s season so far, and we see the mammoth-sized slugger is hitting .329 with 30 home runs and 66 RBI.

In the American League, Judge is tied for second in batting average, is second in RBI, and leads the Junior Circuit in home runs. These numbers are why Judge is considered the front-runner for AL MVP.

As for some advanced statistics, Judge has a WAR of 5.17 compared to DiMaggio’s 4.6. The fielding percentages are close. DiMaggio’s was .978, while Judge’s sits at .986.

And something that shows how much baseball has changed over 81 years, DiMaggio drew 24 walks and struck out 39 times. Those numbers seem like nothing compared to Judge’s AL-leading 61 walks and his 109 strikeouts.

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If numbers don’t lie, one could say that Judge’s rookie campaign has been better than DiMaggio’s.

With that said, it’s way too early to say that Aaron Judge is going to be the next Joe DiMaggio.

We have to remember that Judge has only played in 84 games with just 301 at-bats. For all we know, Judge could go into a huge slump in the second half and bring his numbers down to what scouts originally expected them to be.

However, considering Judge is breaking records that have stood for 81 years as we only reach the All-Star break, this kid seems like he’s here to stay.

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