Aaron Judge Is a Bona Fide Freak of Nature

Share This Post

For the first time in six years, Major League Baseball convinced me to tune in to its annual Home Run Derby. We’re a New York Yankees household (the First Lady is from New Jersey), so of course I’ve been hearing the tales of Aaron Judge for months now. Admittedly, I’ve only been able to sit down and watch two or three Yankees games all seasons. I’m a busy guy, and a MLB game is a huge time commitment when you have to GSD.

But, I follow along, checking scores, checking standings, following Adam’s columns, and watching the highlights. That still doesn’t give you a sense of just how electric Judge is.

The First Lady and I went up to New Jersey over the holiday to visit her family. We got Blue Jays-Yankees tickets while we were there. So, I finally got the chance to see Judge live in action. All rise. The kid didn’t disappoint, either. He went 3/4 with a two-run homer that sailed over Monument Park in center field. Unbelievable.

Fun fact: there’s actually a television in the bar out in the Yankee Stadium outfield that Judge crushed with a homer. To my knowledge, it is still awaiting repair, though I have a feeling they’ll leave it as it is.

So, I say to myself, “wow – this kid is good.” And, he is. He’s leading the majors in home runs with 30 bombs. His on-base percentage is .449, and he joins Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey, Jr. as the only players to win a Home Run Derby and sit atop the home run standings at the All-Star break. But, as impressive as he’s been over the course of this season, the hype going into last night’s event was at a fever pitch.

The media was ready to anoint him champion days before the event. And, it’s still the Home Run Derby, after all. Anything can happen! Though the field included eight legitimate contenders, everyone made this about Giancarlo Stanton (the defending derby champion) and Judge. Gary Sanchez knocked Stanton out in the first round as our first reminder that this event is unpredictable. Then, Judge’s first round opponent, Justin Bour, jacks 22 balls out of the park. The First Lady and I watched together, and at this point, I look at her and say, “the hometown guy is hot. No way he’s getting 23.”

But, something crazy happened. Judge did just that – he looked composed, calm, and most importantly, powerful.

Seriously, the guy is 6’7″ and 280 pounds. Holy shit! Where do they grow ’em like that? The guy is tailor made for a post-baseball WWE Championship run.

With Stanton out of the field, Judge made short work out of Cody Bellinger in the semifinals. Then, when the lights were on brightest, he bounced Miguel Sano to take the championship. Judge finished the night with a staggering 47 home runs that included a 513-foot meteor.

The kid lived up to that insane amount of hype. The Yankees need to address their bullpen, but with a guy like Judge in the lineup, they won’t have to worry about manufacturing offense. The sky’s the limit for this kid. He is the bona fide freak of nature people claim him to be.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley@WrestlingNewsCo

Shop our store on Redbubble. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore