Why Yankees’ Aaron Judge can be the team MVP in 2020

Yankees’ Aaron Judge has been on and off the field with all kinds of injuries the last couple of seasons. Fans are starting to place him in the injury-prone column but way too soon, in my opinion.

Judge dealt with a broken wrist and broken rib the past two years. He had surgery for both and has little risk of reinjuring them. Judge went down while he was helping his team. He got hit in the wrist by a 96 mph fastball and injured his rib diving for a ball. I see Judge being perfectly healthy this year and having the best 60-game season on the team.

Even though Judge has been off the field quite a bit, he has been very productive on the field. In fact, despite missing almost 110 games in the last two seasons, he has still produced an 11.4 WAR. That’s fantastic. That isn’t the only thing that Judge did well in both those seasons. He’s lowered his strikeout numbers, hit more singles and doubles, and gotten better in the field.

Defensively, he combined for a 3.1 dWAR and had no errors in the field. CBS Sports ranked him as the 40th best player in the MLB. That’s a joke. When he’s on the field, he is no doubt a top ten player in the league.

If the Yankees had to pick a captain, it would be him. He’s a great player, a great teammate, and a great person. What more could you want. Aaron Judge wants to do his best every time he goes out on the field. He’s already said that he won’t stop playing his heart out every game just because of a couple of injuries. 

So, how will he look this year?

This year, everything has been unpredictable. There can be another virus that starts spreading tomorrow and cancels the season. But for now, the season is on, and Judge is ready. He has been working very hard to get to 100%, and he says he feels better than ever. In Wednesday’s intrasquad game, he went back in the lineup after a sore neck and crushed a solo shot to center field off of James Paxton. His swing looked smooth and a lot like his 2017 self.

My prediction is that he will be the MVP for the Yankees in a shortened season. I think he not only performs elite at the plate but in the field as well. To me, he’ll look even better than his rookie self. Now, that’s not to say that he’ll go out there and hit 25 home runs in 60 games. I mean, he will become a better all-around player. I don’t think hitting bombs will be the story of his season. It will be racking up RBI’s and getting on base. Fans love to see Judge hit 450 foot home runs every at-bat, but I think Judge has developed into a more complete player. 

With that being said, here are my predictions for Judge this season: 203 AB, 63 H, 12 HR, 16 BB, .310 AVG, .383 OBP, .530 SLG, .920 OPS, oWAR 3.7. 

Those are great numbers in a 60-game season and might seem like a little much to most fans. However, I am very confident in Judge this year. I feel that he is a top-five player in the league and that fans are underestimating him. Judge will be the best player on the Yankees this year. Remember those words.