There’s no shame in disagreeing with Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. being left outside Bleacher Report’s top 10 cornerstone players. But there’s also no argument against who landed at No. 1.
Aaron Judge is not just having a great season. He’s rewriting what’s possible for a power hitter in the modern game. And if that sounds like hyperbole, then take it up with history. No one—not Ruth, Mantle, or Bonds—has ever started a season like this.
Through 66 games, Judge hit .394 with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs. He also posted a 1.264 OPS, the best by a hitter with 25+ homers this early in a season. Not in the last decade. Ever. This is baseball’s version of someone playing a different sport.
Challenging Ted Williams, Surpassing All Logic
There’s a reason analysts are starting to say Judge is doing what Ted Williams did — and then some. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Judge’s adjusted OPS+ sits at 250. That’s higher than Williams’ mark of 235 in his iconic 1941 season, the year he hit .406.
And Judge is doing this in an era of 101 mph sinkers, not cigarette-smoking starters going seven innings every night.
You don’t even need advanced metrics to grasp the magnitude. He’s batting nearly .400 with elite power and somehow remains under-discussed because of how “normal” he makes the absurd look.
The Face of the Franchise — And the League
Bleacher Report placing Judge atop the list of MLB’s best franchise cornerstones is one of the few picks on the ranking immune to debate. Yes, he’s 33. Yes, he missed time last year. But it’s also true that no one has dominated the sport like him since 2022. His OPS since then is 1.128. The next closest? Shohei Ohtani at .994.
That gap isn’t just enormous. It’s generational. Ohtani, who hits and pitches, can’t keep pace at the plate.
Judge has played every game of the Yankees’ season until a scheduled day off in Kansas City. He’s been so locked in that any stretch below .390 feels like a slump. The idea that he might challenge .400 in 2025 — when the league-wide batting average is at its lowest in 50 years — doesn’t just feel real. It feels inevitable.
Built for the Bronx and Beyond
This isn’t a one-year explosion, either. Judge is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. His career OPS is over 1.000. He’s already hit 338 home runs despite missing time in multiple seasons. And unlike other sluggers, he brings more than just the bat.
He’s the captain of the Yankees. The adult in the room. The tone-setter for a team with World Series expectations and pressure that would fold most players.
So, while it’s fair to argue for Acuña, Bobby Witt Jr., or Juan Soto in the top 5 of any future-facing list, the No. 1 spot is taken. Judge’s bat alone puts him in that tier, but the intangibles — the leadership, the discipline, the obsession with greatness — keep him there.
As of June, Aaron Judge isn’t just the best hitter in baseball. He’s its most valuable pillar. And unless something historic changes, that’s not up for debate.
Yankees Captain Is MLB’s No. 1 Cornerstone, According to Ranking