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Aaron Judge 2019 Outlook: Slugger Looks To Regain Top-10 Status
6 years agoNew York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was the 2017 Rookie of the Year, MVP runner-up, and was a potential first-round pick headed into 2018. He hit .284 with 52 home runs, 114 RBI, and 128 runs scored, gaudy numbers that made him one of the more valuable players in fantasy baseball. Then 2018 happened. In late July, Judge was hit by a Jake Junis fastball, missed most of the remainder of the regular season, and ended with just 67 runs scored and 77 RBI. Judge was down a bit for the season before the injury, slashing .278/.392/.528, but the injury sapped his fantasy value. He also only hit 27 home runs and, injury or not, was one of the more disappointing players of the 2018 season. Health is what held Judge back in 2018 and that is likely the only thing that will stop him from being a top-10 hitter in fantasy baseball next season. The Yankees are primed to put Judge in a position to thrive and he will likely approach 40 or 50 home runs if healthy. One small issue is that the Yankees do like Judge as their second hitter, which could stunt his RBI opportunities but could also see him lead baseball in runs scored. His current ADP of 18 locks him into the second round.
