Aaron Judge is ranked third in MLB's Hitter Power Rankings, with a .918 OPS and eight home runs through 19 games, as of April 15th. He is tied for the lead in home runs, putting him on pace for 64 longballs, which would be a career high.
What happened?
Shohei Ohtani was named the top hitter in baseball, claiming the top spot in MLB.com's Hitter Power Rankings. Ohtani has hit five home runs and has a .910 OPS, amidst a 48-game on-base streak.
Why it matters for Aaron Judge
Judge's .918 OPS feels too low, considering he's one-dotted in the past four seasons. He is on pace for 64 home runs, which would be a career high. Judge is behind Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez, who was ranked in second place.
What comes next?
The rest of the power rankings were made up of a combination of known, feared sluggers and younger newcomers. Guys like Alvarez, Kyle Schwarber, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are exactly the names you'd expect to see in a Hitters Power Rankings.
Aaron Judge is tied with Jordan Walker for the MLB lead in home runs, with eight through 19 games. Walker, the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, struggled in his early stints with the Cardinals, but is now suddenly thriving.
The Yankees' first baseman, Ben Rice, has the third-best OPS in all of baseball, at 1.166. Rice has a 65.7% hard-hit rate, third best in all of baseball.
Andy Pages has broken out in a big way for the Dodgers, with 20 RBI leading all of baseball, and a 1.148 OPS ranking fourth. Pages is one of the younger newcomers making a name for himself in the MLB.
On April 15th, the MLB.com's Hitter Power Rankings were released, with Ohtani claiming the top spot. Judge finished third, behind Ohtani and Alvarez.
The power rankings are a combination of stats and expert opinion, taking into account the players' performance through the first three weeks of the season. Judge's performance has been impressive, but he still trails Ohtani and Alvarez.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how the power rankings change. Will Judge be able to catch up to Ohtani and Alvarez, or will they continue to dominate the rankings?