Aaron Judge on June 8, 2017. (Getty)
Aaron Judge, who now holds the record for most home runs by a rookie in a single season with 50, will be playing for the Bronx Bombers for a long time. He was drafted by the team in 2013 and made his major league debut in 2016. Today, he’s one of the key pieces of the Yankees lineup keeping the team afloat and tied at the top of the AL East with the Boston Red Sox.
The 25-year-old Judge is listed at 6 feet, 7 inches tall and 282 pounds. Through the first 69 games of the 2017 season, he’s hit .329 with 25 homers, 57 RBI and a .694 slugging percentage. Judge is a native of Linden, California and was first drafted by his hometown Oakland A’s in 2010, but decided to attend California State University Fresno instead of turning pro.
Judge was adopted by his parents, Wayne and Patty Judge, the day after he was born. He never knew his biological parents. He does have an older brother, John, who is a teacher.
You cna follow Judge on Instagram and Twitter.
Here’s what you need to know about Judge’s net worth and contract.
1. Judge Has an Estimated Net Worth of $2 Million
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Judge is just at the start of his major league career, so his net worth pales in comparison to veterans of the game. Celebrity Net Worth notes that Judge has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
Judge could have started his MLB career much sooner. In 2010, the Oakland A’s drafted him in the 31st round of the MLB June Amateur Draft right out of high school. Judge attended Linden High School and his hometown is just east of Oakland.
In an interview with NJ.com, Judge said he knew his 18-year-old self was just not prepared for the big leagues yet and decided to go to college instead.
“I kind of knew right away that I wasn’t ready physically and mentally to go out in the real world and play professional baseball,” Judge told the site, adding that his parents thought he should get an education to have something to lean back on. “They were a big influence on that,” Judge said of his parents, who are both teachers.
2. Judge Got a $1.8 Million Signing Bonus in 2013
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Judge was drafted again in 2013, this time by the Yankees, who used the 32nd overall pick to get him. The pick was compensation for Nick Swisher leaving the team in free agency.
In July 2013, River Ale Blues reported that Judge signed his contract with the Yankees, and got a $1.8 million signing bonus. That’s the sixth-highest signing bonus the Yankees have ever given a drafted player.
Judge quickly established himself in the Yankees’ farm system. In 2014, he hit .303 with 21 home runs. In 2015, he split time between the Yankees’ AA and AAA teams, hitting 20 home runs with a .255 average.
In 2016, he played 93 games in AAA, hitting .270 with 19 home runs. He then made his major league debut for the Yankees, playing in 27 games and hitting .179 with four home runs.
3. Judge Signed a One-Year, $544,500 Contract Before the 2017 Season
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For all the hitting Judge is doing, you would think he’s raking in millions of dollars from the team. But that’s not actually true. Before the 2017 season, Judge signed a one-year, $544,500 contract, according to SportRac.
However, Judge will be with the Yankees for awhile, since he is under team control until the end of the 2019 season and, starting in 2020, he becomes arbitration eligible for three seasons. He won’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2023, when he’s 31 years old. Of course, the Yankees could trade him before 2023.
4. Judge is Managed by PSI Sports Management
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Judge is a client of PSI Sports Management, which strives “to bring comprehensive and personal care to every aspect of your career,” according to its website.
The firm negotiates marketing and endorsement deals, and provides year-round training for clients. Its president is Page Odle, a former MLB player himself who retired in 1989 and Judge’s agent. Former MLB player David Matranga is a player advisor.
The firm’s recently negotiated contracts includes deals for James Shields, Doug Fister, Logan Forsythe, Kolten Wong and Kole Calhoun.
Judge has been a PSI client since he signed with the Yankees. In 2015, he was featured in a training video, showing him working out at York’s Core and Fitness in Ventura, California.
“We have a lot of clients who come here (to York’s Core & Fitness) who want to become really, really strong so they can become more explosive,” Odle told NJ.com. “Aaron comes to our program being the strongest human we’ve ever met in baseball.”
5. Judge Has a Performance-Equipment Sponsorship Deal With Under Armour
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In May, just after he helped the Yankees beat the Royals, Judge went to his locker to find a gift of 20 Under Armour sneakers, all in size 17, NJ.com reports. One pair of shoes was orange, but he doesn’t plan on wearing those for awhile. Judge has a deal with Under Armour, which sponsors his performance equipment. He also wears Under Armour cleats.
“I think those will be in the closet for quite a few years,” he said, later admitting that he might try them out for Halloween.
Of course, Under Armour and Fanatics will be the official uniform partners for MLB starting in 2019, a year earlier than planned, ESPN announced in May. MLB previously worked with Majestic and Nike. In December 2016, when the deal was announced, Judge helped ring in the New York Stock Exchange Bell.
In an interview with Cheddar TV, Judge said he was looking forward to playing in Under Armour gear.
