Aaron Judge is More Than Just a Home Run Machine

Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge has become a household name thanks to his size (prodigious) and power (somehow prodigious-er) as he's jumped out to an MLB-leading 15 home runs so far this season. With home runs of 460, 457, and 451 feet this season, Judge's name is littered across ESPN's home run tracker. But here's the thing, Judge can make some plays out in the field, too.

Yesterday, in the sixth inning of a tight game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Judge dove onto the garbage Tropicana Field turf on a play that would have changed the game had he not made this incredible catch:

Now, I don't know what all this "four-star play" or borderline "five-star territory" stuff actually means, but I do know that Kevin Pillar can go kick rocks. The Statcast guy went on to mention that Judge has made three other "four-star" catches this season, which I again don't have any context for you on what that means, but I am assuming it would have to include the time on his birthday when he jumped into the Fenway stands like a beefed up version of Derek Jeter:

Judge has also robbed Andrew McCutchen of extra bases with a leaping grab at the PNC Park wall, he's robbed Manny Machado of a home run at Yankee Stadium. He's ranged over to center to rob Jose Bautista of a would-be gapper. The guy can flash the leather.

Judge has the deck stacked against him because guys his size are baseball anomalies, but he is not a lumbering power hitter the Yankees are trying to hide out in right field. He can really move out there and cover a lot of ground. Who knows how long those large-ass wheels of his will last but, for now, he is nearly as athletic as he is big, and that is a crazy thing to consider.

It's easy to focus on one aspect of a player's game and assume he is one-dimensional, especially when that dimension is so extraordinary. In Judge's case, though, don't let his monster power overshadow the rest of his game.