New York Yankees Slugger Projected To Be Home Run Leader Next Season

Will the top slugger for the New York Yankees be the best home run hitter in the league once again?

Feb 20, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits the ball during work outs at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

With spring training underway for the New York Yankees, the team is anxiously awaiting the start of the new season. 

After a busy offseason, the franchise will have their eyes set on once again making it to the World Series, this time with the hopes of winning it. 

Despite losing a superstar to free agency, New York has put together a really solid roster. Additions like Max Fried, Devin Williams, Paul Goldschmidt, and Cody Bellinger have resulted in a well-balanced team for the Yankees. 

Even though they did lose a star in Juan Soto, New York is fortunate that they still have one of the best hitters in the league on their team. 

While October might not have been kind to Aaron Judge, he was able to win his second MVP in 2024. When healthy, the slugger for the Yankees have proven to be one of the best players in the league. 

Heading into 2025, he won't have his running mate in Soto anymore, but Judge has had plenty of success before the talented slugger arrived in New York last winter. Now, he will be looking to lead the Yankees back to the World Series, and that quest will start in the regular season. 

Andrew Simon of MLB.com recently predicted the home run leaders for each team in 2025. For the Yankees, it was none other than Judge leading the way with a projected 49 home runs. 

With a projected 49 home runs, the reigning MVP not only led New York in the projections, but he led the entire league once again. Shohei Ohtani was ranked second with a projected 42 home runs, giving Judge a comfortable buffer. 

For the Yankees, they will be relying heavily on their star this coming season. Even though the additions of Bellinger and Goldschmidt were good, there is still some uncertainty in this lineup. 

Currently, third base continues to be an area of concern with D.J. LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera fighting it out for the Opening Day spot. Also, and potentially more significant, is that Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with an elbow issue that has kept him out of spring training. 

There is no timetable for a return with Stanton, which has certainly caused some anxiety for New York. 

Even though the lineup might not be perfect, they do have arguably the best hitter in baseball in the middle of their order. Judge is capable of carrying an offense and the projected home run leader in 2025 might have to do that to start the season.