NEW YORK — Aaron Judge wanted a change. The New York Yankees center fielder, one of the crucial feared hitters in the main leagues, had struggled in the primary few weeks of the season. At the top of April, his batting average was just .207.
“I wasn’t feeling well,” he said recently.
So Judge – who, like many players, often tinkers along with his swing – made what appears to be a big change.
On May 5, he went to bat with two outs in the primary inning to face Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal. Instead of using his usual open batting stance — along with his left foot facing the third baseman — he modified his stance, narrowing his stance a bit of and pointing his foot more toward the pitcher. He also stood a bit of taller.
It worked like a charm. With the rating tied 1-1, Skubal tried to hit a 97-mph batter to Judge. But he left the ball over the plate and Judge hit it for a solo home run almost into the right-center field stands at Yankee Stadium.
Judge finished the sport 2 for 3, with a double and a walk. He has since reclaimed his place as baseball's best hitter. Before Monday's road game against the Chicago White Sox, he led in two of three Triple Crown categories, hitting 42 home runs and 106 RBIs, a best within the American League. However, his .328 batting average was second only to Bobby Witt of the Kansas City Royals, who hit .347. Judge's 217 wRC+ — a general stat that measures a player's overall value — was also the most effective, greater than 30 points higher than his closest competitor, teammate Juan Soto, who hit 186.
He also had 299 home runs in his profession and is on pace to develop into the fastest player to achieve 300.
Judge said the change helped him in several ways.
First, he said, it made him feel more comfortable. Second, it allowed him to be simpler against sliders and away pitches basically. Through May 4, Judge had a batting average of just .154 and a slugging percentage of .333 against sliders. After May 5, he had a batting average of .348 against them and a slugging percentage of .812.
“I just stay a little better on the away court,” he said. “A lot of teams like to throw sliders away, sliders away and then show heaters inside and then sliders away — same thing. If I just start a little more closed or a little straighter, which I usually like to do, I can stay there a little better.”
He added that it helped his front foot land more reliably where he wanted it to – almost directly on the pitcher.
“I always want to get back in position when I land,” he said. “But sometimes when I start way out, I feel like I never get back in position, making the pitch feel even farther away. So if I start in position sooner, I have a better chance of staying on some balls.”
Of course, the change wasn't a one-time adjustment. This season, Judge has stood much more square to the pitcher on several occasions and sometimes adjusted his height, all within the name of finding the best balance.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo — among the best hitters in the sport since his debut in 2011 — said he noticed the change in Judge's batting stance when it happened, and said a hitter's legs might be a key to his success. At workouts before spring training, Yankees players told one another they desired to make a degree all season long to closely watch one another's at-bats and help correct mistakes once they occur.
“Hitting is very difficult,” Rizzo said. “But I think as long as you have the basics and you're on time, it doesn't matter where you start. … It's a feeling thing.”
Since the change, Judge's swing seems more direct, said manager Aaron Boone.
“In some ways, it's simplified it for him,” Boone said, “and made him really efficient at what he does in the (batter's) box. Plus, we've seen great swing decisions. He's really calm up there when he's taking the throws, he knows what to look for and doesn't try to do too much with it. He knows he doesn't need to swing harder or add more. He slows it down really well, and I think the stance and the position he's in — from my perspective and my perspective — allows him to be more efficient.”
Batting coach James Rowson said it's not unusual for even the sport's best players to make significant adjustments to develop into more comfortable at bat.
“I don't think that's odd,” Rowson said. “I think if you take 100 hitters, you'll see them make adjustments just because something feels that way. That doesn't mean you're going to stay there. You could stay there. You could go back. I think as long as he gets to the point now where he feels like he's in a good position to make a good move, that's where we want to be. Sometimes you make those adjustments to get that feeling back.”
Lately, Judge has had fewer opportunities to implement his changeup. Teams have once more began giving Judge the Barry Bonds treatment – intentionally throwing around him or intentionally walking him fairly than letting him hit them. This season, he's tied with Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros with 13 intentional walks in the sport. They also did it to him toward the top of the 2022 season, when he set an American League record with 62 home runs.
Judge said, nevertheless, that he was joyful with the move and that more could follow as he continues to go looking for a secure spot on the loft.
“There are certain things you have to hold on to, and you know things are going to change,” he said. “But those are the little things where you just watch your tape and analyze your game, and little things can stand out and you think, 'Well, let's see if this works.'”
A reporter then told Judge that the move actually looked as if it would have worked.
He smiled.
“Until now.”
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