The New York Yankees are excited for Aaron Judge to take the field next to Juan Soto in 2024. Judge, the 2022 AL MVP, and Soto, a perennial MVP candidate, are both on track to achieve impressive statistical feats next season.
Yankees’ Juan Soto Could Join Impressive Company in 2024
Sarah Langs of MLB.com outlined where Soto and Judge can make their mark in the history books, first pointing out Soto’s chance to join Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, and Ty Cobb in one particular category, saying:
“Soto is projected to lead the Majors with a 171 wRC+, signifying the best pure hitter in baseball. He’s already had five qualified seasons with at least a 140 wRC+, and Soto just turned 25 in October,” Langs said.
One more season with a wRC of 140 or better will put him in company with the aforementioned greats.
Weighted runs created amalgamates hitting metrics such as runs, home runs, and doubles, to quantify the total amount of runs a player created in a given season. Soto’s ability to spark an offense will be huge for the Yankees as they look to bounce back from a lackluster 82-80 season.
Can Soto and Aaron Judge Do Something That Only 6 Duos Have Done Since 1973?
Elsewhere, both he and Judge can enter the history books in WAR, as Soto is projected to be second among position players at 6.7 and Judge to be third at 6.2, as Langs made further mention of:
“The last time two Yankees position players placed in the top two in WAR in a season was 1942, when Charlie Keller and Joe Gordon did it. The only other Yankees duo to accomplish the feat is, of course, Gehrig and Ruth in 1926-28, ‘30-32 and ‘37. Talk about good company.”
Judge has already led the American League in WAR twice, the first time in 2017 (8.0) and the second in his 2022 MVP campaign (10.6) which also led the Majors.
Soto and Judge living up to their projections would make them the seventh duo to accomplish such a feat over the last 50 years.
Expectations are riding high on both superstars to fuel the Yankees‘ batting order. If their health permits, particularly in the case of Judge who missed 56 games in 2023, the Yankees will have a rejuvenated cast ready to contend for a World Series next year in what might be their most potent collection of talent in the Aaron Judge era.