Aaron Judge May Not Win MVP Over Bobby Witt Jr., but Yankees' Star Will Be More Than Fine

This may not be the year that Aaron Judge wins MVP, but he is still one of the best hitters on the planet.

Aaron Judge's outlook is still promising even if he won't win the AL MVP race. | John Jones-Imagn Images

It's important that the Yankees got a win over the Rays on Sunday afternoon.

The season is still young, but, in the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, it's getting late early. That win was desperately needed. They couldn't have the type of slide against them that they did against the Blue Jays last year. By all accounts, this Rays team might be better than last year's Blue Jays team just based on that starting rotation.

Not only was it important for New York to finally take one against Tampa, but the captain, Aaron Judge, needed to break out of his slump. The big hope was that the walk-off blast was the start of something.

Was Aaron Judge's walk-off home run the start of better things to come? | John Jones-Imagn Images

For this season, Judge may not crack a 200 wRC+ or win an MVP. The Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. is having a stellar season of his own at the plate and in the field, and his 3.3 WAR, according to FanGraphs, leads all of baseball heading into Memorial Day by a wide margin. Second behind him is the Athletics' Nick Kurtz with a 2.4 WAR. Judge is sitting at 2.2.

All of that is okay, though. Judge hitting .250/.379/.557 with a 160 wRC+ isn't exactly chump change. Most players would do just about anything to say that they were having that type of season. Still, this could be Judge at a low point. If he starts hitting more consistently, the league better watch out.

Aaron Judge's improved contact is a positive sign of what's to come

There are already signs that Judge is beginning to snap out of it. In that first game against the Rays, Judge hit a ball over 111.9 mph and had a flyout that looked like it could have tied the game. It came off his bat at 106.6 mph and would have been out in six parks.

Judge was making even better contact on Sunday. In three of his four plate appearances, he was facing Cy Young hopeful Drew Rasmussen. Judge had a 106.6 mph single. He had a 96 mph flyout. There was a 93.3 mph double play, and, in his final at-bat against Kevin Kelly, Judge's walk-off flew off his bat at 103.9 mph.

AARON JUDGE ENDS IT 👨‍⚖️

WALK-OFF HOME RUN IN THE BRONX pic.twitter.com/yxFisjdpmo

— MLB (@MLB) May 24, 2026

Something could be brewing for Judge. It may not be the type of season fans are used to, but a tick below that still makes him the best hitter on planet Earth.

After the game, Judge spoke about how special that moment was. Less for him and more for his teammates. It was typical Judge.

"It's a special moment," Judge said, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "The guys know how much of a grind this season is. I know how much they were grinding all game today; a lot of great at-bats up and down that lineup. I liked what I was seeing all game long, so I think a lot of guys were just really able to pull that one out."

Cody Bellinger wasn't surprised that his captain walked it off.

"It really always feels like a matter of time," Cody Bellinger said. "This game is so difficult, and he's literally one of the best hitters of all time. It was just a short little period, but he's always trying and working."