Deep Dive Into The Analytics: How #99 Became a True All-Hitter

“If I start more square, you have a better chance to stay on some balls.”

That’s how Aaron Judge explained it. And if you’ve been watching closely this season, you’ve seen the results: Judge isn’t just crushing baseballs, he has turned into a true hitter.

In 2025, Judge has become a nightmare for pitchers no matter where they try to go. Inside, outside, up, down - there’s no safe zone. Why? Because Judge is letting pitches travel deeper, squaring up with a more neutral stance, and driving the ball to center and right field with the same power and authority that saw him break the AL Homerun record just a couple of years ago.

Photo Credit: Ed Zurga

A Shift in the Stance, A Shift in the Game

Back in 2023, Judge pulled about 44% of his batted balls. Fast forward to 2025, and that number’s dropped to under 40%, while his opposite-field rate has jumped to 28% - the highest of his career.

Midway through 2024, Judge quietly began tweaking his stance, moving from an open setup to something nearly square by the time this season rolled around. That change alone has helped him stay on pitches longer, especially ones on the outer half. Instead of yanking off or fouling them away, he’s backspinning them into the right-field bleachers. His quote says it all: squaring up “helped keep me on the baseball a little longer, especially the away pitch.”

He’s Letting It Travel – And Still Hitting It 436 Feet

Statcast’s “intercept point” metric confirms what the eye test suggests: Judge is letting the ball get deeper before he pulls the trigger. In 2024, he was already averaging a contact point behind the plate.

Take June 8 vs. Boston. First inning. First pitch. 97.5 mph fastball up in the zone. Judge doesn’t yank it to left. He waits on it… and launches it 436 feet to right. That’s the second-longest opposite-field homer of his career, and it wasn’t a fluke. Later that night, he did it again - this time a two-run shot into the bullpen. Same direction.

Not Just Power - It’s Precision

Judge’s fly ball/line drive distribution tells the same story. In 2023, he was pulling most of his air contact. In 2025? More than a quarter of those flies are going oppo. That’s more than he pulls.

In those prior years Judge would frail at those pitches, pitchers can’t just live away anymore. If they try, Judge is content to take that outside fastball and loft it over the wall in right-center. And if they come in? He’s still got the hips and hands to turn on a pitch, like the homer he hit to left against Kansas City a couple of days ago.

Check out that Kansas City homerun here.

Why It Matters for the Yankees

Here’s the bottom line: Aaron Judge is no longer just the guy who punishes mistakes inside. He’s become a full-field hitter. And that changes everything.

Defenses can’t shade. Pitchers can’t throw sliders outside. There’s no safe zone. Whether he’s slapping singles to right, driving doubles to the gap, or launching 430-foot homers, Judge is showing that he’s not just swinging - he’s thinking and adjusting.

And as one of the league’s premier home-run leader and a .390 hitter through May, that combination of power and precision is what sets 2025 Judge apart.