1992-present
Latest News: Aaron Judge Wins 2nd MVP Award
Aaron Judge stands alongside New York Yankees legends after winning his second American League MVP Award on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Judge received all 30 first-place votes, finishing ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and his Yankees teammate Juan Soto. “It means a lot, a lot of the hard work in the offseason, during the season, the ups and downs throughout it,” Judge said in an interview with MLB Network. “Just the constant support from my teammates, the fans in New York, just everybody to help me get to this spot.”
Judge joined an elite list of Yankees to win two MVP awards, including Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Alex Rodriguez. The slugger hit for a .322 average in 2024 and led the AL with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. Thanks in large part to Judge, New York advanced to the World Series but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Two-way player Shohei Ohtani, Judge’s opponent with LA in the Fall Classic, unanimously won the National League MVP Award.
Who Is Aaron Judge?
Aaron Judge has played outfield for the New York Yankees since 2016 and is a six-time All-Star. One of the largest men ever to play in MLB, the California-bred athlete showcased his jaw-dropping power by hitting a rookie record 52 home runs in 2017. Following a few injury-plagued seasons, Judge riveted the sports world by smashing an American League–record 62 home runs in 2022. The star player, who competed in his first World Series and won his second AL MVP Award in 2024, also devotes time to helping children through his ALL RISE Foundation.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Aaron James Judge
BORN: April 26, 1992
BIRTHPLACE: Linden, California
SPOUSE: Samantha Bracksieck (2021-present)
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus
Parents and Early Years
Aaron James Judge was born on April 26, 1992, in Linden, California.
Judge’s biological parents and ethnic background are publicly unknown, though he is biracial. Judge was adopted by schoolteachers Wayne and Patty Judge the day after he was born. Wayne and Patty have an older son, John, who is also adopted.
Aaron told the New York Post he was around 10 or 11 years old when he started to notice physical differences between himself and his parents and learned about his adoption. “I was fine with it. It really didn’t bother me because that’s the only parents I’ve known,” he said
Raised in Linden, a tiny northern California town previously known for its annual cherry festival, Judge always stood out for his exceptional size. “We kind of joked that he looked like the Michelin Tire baby,” his father told the Post in 2015. “It wasn’t long before the four ounces of formula was just the appetizer, and it had to be the formula with the oatmeal to pacify him.”
A combination of premier physical gifts and strong work ethic helped Judge become a three-sport star at Linden High School. During his senior year, he set school records with 17 touchdowns and 969 receiving yards for the football team; averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game in basketball; and produced a .500 batting average to go with a 0.88 ERA for the Mother Lode League-champion baseball team. Away from the playing fields, he served on the student council for two years and volunteered at his local church.
By the end of high school, Judge rebuffed opportunities to play football for Stanford University, UCLA, and Notre Dame in order to focus on baseball.
Baseball Career: College to the New York Yankees
Although he was picked in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics while still in high school, Judge elected to continue his education and amateur development at California State University, Fresno.
Judge performed well in his first two seasons for the Fresno State Bulldogs, earning selection to the All-Western Athletic Conference Team both times. However, his massive in-game power had yet to materialize, as he hit just six home runs over that time.
Things began to change after Judge’s sophomore year when he dazzled the competition with his gargantuan hits in the summer Cape Cod League, which brought together the nation’s top collegiate players. That year, he also won the TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby.
Back at Fresno State, Judge earned all-conference honors for the third straight season after posting an impressive .461 on-base percentage with team highs in home runs (12), doubles (15), and RBIs (36).
MLB Draft and Minor Leagues
Judge was the 32nd overall pick of the 2013 draft selected by the New York Yankees, who sealed the deal with a $1.8 million signing bonus.
Held out of the remainder of the 2013 season because of a quadriceps injury, Judge hit well in the lower levels of the Yankees organization the following year. His steady progression led to an appearance in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game, and by the close of the season, he was with the organization’s top minor league team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the International League.
After batting .270 with 19 home runs in 93 games for the RailRiders in 2016, Judge was summoned to join the Yankees in the Bronx that August.
New York Yankees
Wearing the unusually high jersey number 99, Judge kicked off his professional baseball career in impressive fashion by homering in his first two games for the Yankees. However, opposing pitchers soon figured out his weaknesses, and Judge’s batting average fell to .179 by the time an oblique injury ended his 2016 season in September.
Judge played his first full MLB season in 2017, when he came roaring back from his injury with 10 early home runs to earn the American League Rookie of the Month Award for April. By May, fans began arriving at games in judges’ robes and wigs, leading the Yankees to create the “Judge’s Chambers” seating section in Yankee Stadium behind the superstar’s then-customary position in right field.
Popular well beyond New York City, Judge accumulated the most All-Star votes of any American League player after an outstanding first half of the season. He seized the moment by winning the Home Run Derby against several other top sluggers.
After seeing the strikeouts pile up during a rough August, Judge rebounded to smash Mark McGwire’s rookie record of 49 home runs in late September. He finished the year with a league-leading 52 home runs, 128 runs, and 127 walks, numbers that resulted in a unanimous AL Rookie of the Year selection and a second-place showing for the MVP Award.
All-Star and Overcoming Injuries
After blasting 25 home runs in the first half of 2018 to earn his second straight All-Star berth, Judge hit a home run off Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer in the midsummer showcase. However, he sustained a fractured wrist after getting hit by a pitch in late July, knocking him out of action until the final weeks of the season.
A left oblique strain limited the slugger to just 102 games in 2019, though he still hit 27 home runs and earned a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award for his strong defense in right field. The following year, he hit seven home runs in his first 10 games after MLB’s pandemic-delayed start to the season, only to be derailed by a strained calf that twice forced him to the injured list.
Judge finally turned the page in 2021 by remaining healthy, save for a midseason bout of COVID-19. A slight dip in his power numbers was offset by a decrease in strikeouts and his improved contact skills (that is, his ability to make contact with the ball at bat). This was highlighted by the game-winning single that propelled the Yankees into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Overall, Judge hit a then-career best .287 in 2021, along with 39 home runs, resulting in his second Silver Slugger Award and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting.
AL Record for Home Runs
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Judge made headlines in April 2022 by rejecting a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension from the Yankees—an offer that fell well below the exorbitant salaries paid to fellow superstars like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.
It appeared to be a wise bet as the slugger started launching home runs at a rate rarely seen in the game’s history. He slammed 12 homers in May, 11 in June, and another 13 in July, becoming the runaway winner in All-Star voting with almost 400,000 votes more than runner-up Mike Trout. And while the Yankees struggled during the midsummer months, Judge nearly single-handedly kept them in first place with his stellar defense at center field and his lofty .311 batting average.
Judge matched the legendary Babe Ruth with his 60th home run on September 20, 2022, before tying Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League record with homer No. 61 on September 28. Six days later, he finally had the AL record to himself by swatting a leadoff blast in the Yankees’ penultimate game of the regular season. (Barry Bonds holds the MLB record with 73 home runs.)
Along with his 62 home runs, Judge fell just short of the batting title with his .311 average, tied for the Major League lead with 131 RBIs, and led all players in runs (133), on-base percentage (.425), and slugging percentage (.686)—the rate of total bases per at-bat—in his memorable 2022 season.
Current 9-Year Contract and 2024 World Series
After rejecting the long-term extension from the Yankees earlier in the year, Judge became one of the league’s most coveted free agents following his record-setting 2022 season. Ultimately, the slugger’s connection to New York led him to come back to the Yankees with a nine-year deal worth $360 million—at the time the largest free-agent contract in MLB history—during the MLB Winter Meetings. According to his agent, Judge turned down more lucrative offers to return, including a contract with the San Diego Padres reportedly worth up to $415 million.
Judge also learned he would be the Yankees’ captain. “I was just pretty taken aback because that is such an incredible honor,” he said. “You look back on the list of individuals who’ve had this title, it’s such an honor. I’m just really blessed to be a part of this organization.”
Judge’s first season of the new deal didn’t go according to plan. In April 2023, he suffered a minor hip injury that briefly landed him on the injured list. Then in early June, the outfielder suffered a torn ligament in his right big toe after crashing into a bullpen gate during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Judge ultimately missed 56 of the team’s games and saw his batting average drop to .267, his worst during a full-length season.
However, 2024 provided a return to normalcy, though Judge did move from right to center field. At-bat, he had his second-highest home run output with 58 and knocked in 144 RBIs, leading MLB in both categories. The Yankees won the AL East division title and advanced to their first World Series in 15 years in October. They faced the Los Angeles Dodgers and their powerhouse hitter Shohei Ohtani in the Fall Classic. Judge couldn’t shake his uncharacteristically quiet postseason even during the World Series; he recorded only 9 hits through 14 games. “Guys around me are doing their job, getting on base,” the Yankees slugger said after Game 2 of the championship. “And I’m failing them, not backing them up.” Ultimately, the Dodgers won the World Series in five games.
Despite the championship defeat, Judge earned his second AL MVP Award—earning all 30 votes—thanks to his tremendous regular season.
Stats, Height, and Weight
Listed at 6 feet, 7 inches and 282 pounds, Judge is one of the largest players in MLB history. That has translated into record power at the plate, with Judge becoming the fastest player to reach 300 home runs (in only his 955th career game) in August 2024.
But Judge’s game is more than hitting home runs, as evidenced by his Silver Slugger Awards and 2019 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award. Here is a breakdown of Judge’s career stats through the 2024 regular season, according to MLB.com:
- Batting average: .288
- Hits: 1,026
- Home runs: 315
- RBIs: 716
- Runs scored: 736
- On-base plus slugging percentage (OPS): 1.010
- Stolen bases: 53
- All-Star selections: 6
- Silver Slugger Awards: 3 (2017, 2021, and 2022)
Wife Samantha Bracksieck
While Judge preferred to keep a close lid on his private life while playing in the New York City spotlight, the media eventually got wind of his relationship with high school sweetheart Samantha Bracksieck. After falling out of touch for a few years, the two reportedly revived their romance in 2019 before marrying in Hawaii in December 2021.
Judge has revealed it was Bracksieck who encouraged him to reach out to Yankees management in 2022, leading him to sign his current nine-year contract instead of joining another team in free agency. “The conversations with New York really weren’t going anywhere. She was like, ‘Call [owner Hal Steinbrenner], just call him up. Tell him how you’re feeling. Tell him what you think,’” Judge said.
Judge doesn’t have children but is a dog dad to his pet dachshunds, Gus and Penny. All three appeared as cartoon versions of themselves in Rubble & Friends, a spinoff of the popular PAW Patrol children’s show. His wife provided the voice of Penny.
Foundation
In 2018, Judge launched the ALL RISE Foundation to encourage children to “become responsible citizens.” Among its numerous initiatives, the foundation sponsors a leadership development program for students, awards grants to select communities, and hosts a series of baseball camps.
His foundation contributed to Judge’s selection for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award, named after the star outfielder and given to the player who “best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, on and off the field.”
Also in 2018, Judge served as the cover athlete of the MLB: The Show video game, becoming the first player to receive the honor following his rookie season.
Quotes
- Some kids grow in their mom’s stomach; I grew in my mom’s heart. She’s always showed me love and compassion ever since I was a little baby. I’ve never needed to think differently or wonder about anything.
- I don’t think about the numbers. When you talk about [Babe] Ruth and [Roger] Maris, and [Mickey] Mantle, and all these Yankees greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid being mentioned with them.
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!
The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
