The New York Yankees suffered a 2-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday afternoon. Despite Juan Soto contributing two hits, Aaron Judge, the star hitter, continued to struggle in the 2024 season.
Judge, usually a strong performer, has been experiencing difficulty making solid contact lately, leading to dissatisfaction among Yankee fans, who have expressed their disappointment through booing.
In the recent game, Judge struck out four times in four at-bats, earning what’s known as a “golden sombrero.” This performance dropped his batting average to .179, his on-base percentage to .323, and his slugging percentage to .359. Despite hitting three home runs and driving in 11 RBIs, his strikeout and walk rates remain consistent with his career averages, but his ability to make quality contact has notably decreased.
Acknowledging the fans’ reactions, Judge admitted understanding their frustration, stating, “I’ve heard worse, and I’d probably be doing the same in their situation.”
Comparing to his 2023 season, Judge’s hard-hit rate has fallen from 64.2% to 48.1%, and his barrel rate from 27.5% to 11.5%. These figures are well below his previous metrics. Additionally, his performance in key areas like whiff rate, sweet spot percentage, and batting average has dropped significantly, with Judge ranking in the 12th percentile, 23rd percentile, and 22nd percentile, respectively.
Notably, his struggles extend to his performance against specific pitch types, particularly fastballs and breaking pitches, where his batting average is .200 and .179, respectively.