With the New York Yankees making several offseason moves to bolster their roster, some of their current talent are primed for big years in 2019. Star outfield Aaron Judge leads the pack after recovering from a broken wrist last season. His missed time surely hurt his overall statistics, but if he can remain healthy next season he could mimic his 2017 performance.
2018 Stats (New York Yankees):
112 Games, .274/.392/.528/.919, 27 HR, 67 RBI, 76 BB, 77 Runs Scored, 6 SB, 5.5 WAR
Judge was in the midst of another fine season until a Jacob Junis fastball hit his right wrist placing him on the Disabled List. He was originally scheduled to be out at least 3 weeks with a chip fracture, only to instead be out for six-weeks. That, along with other injuries caused the Yankees to finish with their third AL Wild Card in four years.
Now two years removed from a spectacular 2017 that saw him be named the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year, Judge is set to once again help lead a Yankees offense that hit a major league record 267 home runs in 2018. Despite the amount of time Judge among others missed, the bombers won 100 games, as well as their second straight AL Wild Card game against the Oakland A’s. Perhaps a full year from a healthy Judge is what the Yankees need to finally surpass the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Another key for another great season for Judge is limiting his strikeout total. He struck out 152 times in 2018, as well as 208 times in 2017.