Judge Aaron’s Bid for a Gold Glove
Judge Aaron might be on his way to adding a notable award to his collection.
No, it isn’t another MVP or a silver slugger.
After returning to his former position, the Yankees star has excelled in right field throughout a big part of the 2025 season, making a strong case for his first Gold Glove award.
As of Wednesday, Judge led all American League right fielders—those playing at least 200 innings—with a plus-four fielding run value. Data from MLB’s Statcast indicates he’s making defensive plays look seamless.
In terms of above-average outs, only Wylie Abreu of the Red Sox and Cam Smith of the Astros are outpacing him.
On Monday night, Judge displayed his defensive skills in what might be his most impressive season yet. During a scoreless match against the Angels, Logan O’Hoppe hit a sliced fly ball into the right field corner at Yankee Stadium.
Much like a wide receiver racing for a catch, Judge dashed toward the foul pole, covering a significant distance before making a running catch just in front of the outfield wall. It was his first “five-star” catch since 2021, with a mere 20% probability of making the catch.
He’s also being discussed in the Gold Glove conversation due to one of the best outfield arms in the league. Judge has prevented two extra runs from scoring, placing him third among all AL outfielders, just behind Stephen Kwan and Nolan Jones from the Guardians.
Statcast shows that runners are notably more cautious when trying to advance on him compared to other outfielders. Opponents seem to hold back rather than risk taking extra bases when they see the ball heading his way.
Judge’s standout performance in right field follows his move back to the position after a stint as the Yankees’ center fielder last year.
In 2024, he played 105 games in center and had a minus-6 Outs Above Average (OAA), which affected his performance in the World Series.
Now that he’s back in the corner, his defensive skills have noticeably improved, and the entire Yankees outfield is looking much stronger than last year.
After wrapping up 2024 with a minus-11 OAA, the Yankees have now turned things around, landing above average with a plus-2 OAA.
Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham also bring their own impressive numbers, helping make the outfield lineup competitive.
If Judge continues on this trajectory, he could be in the running for Gold Gloves reminiscent of his previous nominations in 2017 and 2018.
With an already Hall of Fame-worthy resume, adding a Gold Glove could be yet another significant accolade for Judge.
