The narrative surrounding rookie phenom Aaron Judge has certainly changed over the past few months.
The hulking New York Yankees outfielder was baseball’s brightest star during the first half of the season as his impressive numbers warranted legitimate MVP talk. However, that’s since faded due to his massive offensive slide. The 25-year-old is hitting just .170/.339/.360 with a .699 OPS in 29 games since the all-star break.
While Judge is still a near shoe-in for the American League Rookie of Year award — he already has 36 homers — the focus around the six-foot-seven, 282-lb. slugger has turned to the historic pace in which he’s striking out.
Judge has K’d in 31 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in MLB history since 1913. He’s just six games away from breaking Adam Dunn’s dubious record.
| Most consecutive games with strikeout (since 1913) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | STREAK START | STREAK END | GAMES | TEAM |
| Adam Dunn | 9/24/2011 | 5/9/2012 | 36 | CHW |
| AARON JUDGE | 7/8/2017 | Current | 31 | NYY |
| Chris Carter | 9/2/2012 | 4/15/2013 | 31 | OAK-HOU |
| Brad Hawpe | 8/17/2007 | 9/13/2007 | 26 | COL |
| Geoff Jenkins | 8/31/2001 | 10/5/2001 | 26 | MIL |
| Mike Cameron | 7/17/2001 | 8/17/2001 | 26 | SEA |
| Trevor Story | 04/09/2016 | 05/06/2016 | 24 | COL |
| Jon Singleton | 07/01/2014 | 07/31/2014 | 24 | HOU |
| Chris Davis | 07/03/2013 | 07/31/2013 | 24 | BAL |
*Via Sportsnet Stats. Table considers only games with at least one plate appearance, spans different seasons and does not include pitchers
To be fair, even when things were going well for Judge, he was whiffing a great deal. His 29.8 per cent strikeout rate during the first half is well above the 21.6 per cent that MLB hitters are averaging in 2017.
As Judge has faded, so too has the Yankees offence. It was second in the AL in runs scored prior to the break, but has tallied the third-fewest runs (125) in the league since; only the Chicago White Sox (102) and Tampa Bay Rays (89) have been worse.
Complicating things for Judge is that he’s approaching another dreadful record. With 157 strikeouts so far, the right-handed hitter is on pace to come dangerously close to the mark for most Ks ever in a single season.
| Most strikeouts in a season in MLB history | ||
|---|---|---|
| PLAYER | SEASON | STRIKEOUTS |
| Mark Reynolds | 2009 | 223 |
| Adam Dunn | 2012 | 222 |
| Chris Davis | 2016 | 219 |
| AARON JUDGE (Projected) | 2017 | 219 |
| Chris Carter | 2013 | 212 |
| Mark Reynolds | 2010 | 211 |
| Chris Davis | 2015 | 208 |
| Chris Carter | 2016 | 206 |
| Drew Stubbs | 2011 | 205 |
| Mark Reynolds | 2008 | 204 |
*Via Sportsnet Stats
Judge’s at-bats will be under intense scrutiny down the stretch, especially with his team in the thick of a playoff race.
Things won’t get any easier for the rookie on Tuesday night, with strikeout monster Jacob deGrom toeing the rubber for the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium.
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