A locked-in Aaron Judge is on pace to break Roger Maris’ long-standing Yankees record and American League mark of 61 home runs, but that hasn’t made the slugger reconsider his potential participation in Major League Baseball’s signature long-ball event over the All-Star break.
Judge, who entered Thursday leading the majors with 25 home runs for a 162-game pace of 65, said he still has no plans or temptation to enter the Home Run Derby for the first time since winning it during his rookie season in 2017.
“Nope. No need, I already did it once,” Judge told The Post before Thursday’s game against the Rays at the Stadium. “I’m all good with that.”
Clearly, MLB and the TV networks would love to have Judge involved in the Monday night event ahead of the July 19 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, and New York fans especially would enjoy a potential head-to-head matchup between Judge and Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who has won the past two contests at Progressive Field in Cleveland in 2019 and at Coors Field in Denver last year. There were no All-Star festivities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge went deep for 47 home runs in his debut in the event in 2017 at Marlins Park in Miami, besting Minnesota’s Miguel Sano in the finals. He became the fourth Yankee to win it, joining Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002) and Robinson Cano (2011).
Aaron Judge N.Y. Post: Charles WenzelbergBut Judge also batted .185 in August that year and dealt with left shoulder issues the remainder of that season, requiring arthroscopic surgery in the offseason. He still finished his first full season in The Bronx with 52 home runs, 114 RBIs and a 1.049 OPS, unanimously earning the AL Rookie of the Year award while coming in second to Houston’s Jose Altuve in MVP voting.
Judge is the early but clear front-runner to win the MVP award for the first time in his seven-year career, leading the league in homers, runs (53), slugging percentage (.683) and OPS (1.067) in helping front the Yanks to a sizzling 46-16 start with 100 games remaining entering Thursday.
The 30-year-old Judge also is putting up those staggering numbers with free agency looming after he rejected the Yankees’ seven-year, $213.5 million offer just before the season started.
The sides are scheduled to meet in an arbitration hearing next Wednesday to determine the three-tie All-Star outfielder’s salary for this season.
Judge is seeking $21 million for 2022, while the Yankees have countered at $17 million. But those figures were exchanged before his monster start to the season.
“We haven’t heard nothing. I’m preparing for us to go to court, that’s the plan,” Judge said when asked if he expects or hopes to settle beforehand to avoid the hearing. “That’s what you prepare for, that’s why you have a team [of agents] for, to get you ready for that. We’re looking forward to it.
“All we gotta do is get ready for the hearing, and if they come to us, they come to us. We’ll see what happens.”







