The New York Yankees don’t begin MLB Spring Training games until Saturday, February 21, but reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is already in midseason form.
The massive slugger is coming off his second consecutive 50-homer season, and he added another home run highlight to the ledger this week. The Yankees posted “He can do this all day“ to their social media pages with a clip of Judge mashing a long home run to left field.
The impressive blast came against promising rookie Carlos Lagrange, who is quickly rising up the organization’s prospect rankings. The flame-throwing right-hander regularly tops 100 mph with his fastball. The 99.3 mph heater to Judge, though, was sent out with authority over the outfield wall.
Watch Aaron Judge Destroy a Home Run Against New York Yankees Top Prospect
Judge fouled off the first pitch from Lagrange before demolishing a belt-high fastball for a tape-measure home run. New York’s social media team captured the moment Judge made contact, sending the ball into the stratosphere.
The 22-year-old Lagrange was a good sport about giving up the homer. “It went far,” Lagrange told reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The righty would get his revenge a few batters later. Judge stepped back in the box and quickly got down in the count. Lagrange then blew a 102.6 mph fastball past him for a strikeout.
The two-time MVP offered high praise for Lagrange after facing him, even beyond the impressive arsenal. “It’s also just the presence he has on the mound,” Judge said, relayed by Hoch. “He’s a kid that we sent up some nasty lineups against us today, and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there, and he came right after us.”
Judge Enters International Stage at World Baseball Classic
The next time Judge is playing games that count, it will be as captain of Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Despite his laundry list of accomplishments, Judge has never suited up for his home country in the tournament. Team USA will take on Team Brazil on Friday, March 6, in its first game of the competition.
Team USA features both reigning Cy Young winners in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. The roster also includes All-Stars Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Kyle Schwarber. Retired left-hander Clayton Kershaw will be on the team as a veteran presence with plenty of experience in big games.
The 2026 competition will be a chance for Team USA to redeem itself after coming up short in the 2023 edition of the event. The club made it to the finals against Team Japan, but fell by a score of 3-2. Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to close out the championship game, back when the pair were teammates with the Los Angeles Angels. This year’s tournament is sure to bring more dramatic moments.
WATCH: Aaron Judge Launches Home Run Off Rookie With 102 MPH Fastball