Presumably, Aaron Judge is the next home-run king. Although Judge believes not paying much attention to his stats, you cannot deny his red-hot form. Now that he cranked the 18th homer this season, suddenly, a new drama has unfolded. And an unexpected one, too.

A viral post on X has caught the attention of fans, sparking debates.

Well, as per the post made by a not-so-Yankee fan, Aaron Judge is not an ethical athlete. Gosh! Batting at an average of .398 with a 1.241 OPS, can you believe the criticism?

Let’s take a look at the claim a bit objectively, shall we? KutterIsKing made this post with some specific analysis. All 18 home runs posted by Aaron Judge so far this season have come against the teams that have a below .500 PCT. Basically, the post seemed to indicate that Aaron Judge has been stat padding against the teams that lose more games than they win.

Well, let’s discuss the game against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are right at the bottom of the National League West with a 9-43 record and .173 PCT. Their win-loss percentage is way below even the .500 mark. And Aaron Judge homered his eighteenth, leading the Yankees to a 13-1 win over the already slumping Rockies.

Not to forget his 16th home run that came on Tuesday night when the Yankees faced the Texas Rangers. In the eighth inning, Aaron Judge homered, and it was one of the shortest home runs in his career. But surprisingly, the Texas Rangers are also standing in the fourth position in the AL West with a 25-28 record and .472 PCT. So, the post somewhat makes sense, don’t you think?

But all things aside, it is a stark reminder that even if you do your best, you are bound to face criticism. And as usual, fans remain divided. While some showed their support for Judge, others supported the statement.  

Aaron Judge’s home runs have sent the fans into a frenzy

It was another dominating start by the New York Yankees and their superstar, Aaron Judge. However, as soon as the post questioning his home runs went viral, fans were quick enough to respond, and so were we to witness a fierce battle.

One of the fans, showing his support for Judge, shared two screenshots of the games where Judge hit a home run, captioning, “So we just lying to lie now, kutter?” The first picture was from May 6, when the Yankees faced the San Diego Padres, and Judge hit one home run with an RBI single. The second picture was from May 14, when the Yankees won 3-2 against the Seattle Mariners. And the Padres and the Mariners stand at .560 and .569 PCTs, respectively. Makes sense why this fan got mad… 

“The only thing I’d argue is how come other players aren’t doing the same? If Aaron Judge is doing it against subpar teams, then so should others…if no then he is elite.” Point, though. If Judge is hitting so many home runs this season, then how come the other stars cannot? Every team does have its share of facing strong and weak opponents, right? Even if we keep the Pinstripes aside, take Juan Soto, for instance, who has been struggling this entire season and has posted only eight home runs. 

Another scathing attack by a fan against the one who made the post was “Not a Yankees fan whatsoever but trashing a dude for hitting home runs is weird f—— energy, no matter who it comes against.” He believes that making fun of a player who is doing so well is never good. Well, we have to agree to that. Be it any team, weak or strong. Aaron Judge’s play has been nothing but elite. NYY’s 31-20 standing with a .608 PCT does have a lot to do with their captain. Undoubtedly, he is worthy of praise and not hate.

However, with such positive thoughts comes an equal share of negativities. “There are all juiced balls as well,” a user on X commented, blaming the poor pitches that have made it easier for Judge to hit the ball. Even if it is considered true, how can we forget that he still has been batting at an excellent BA, with a .487 OBP and a .754 slugging percentage. That’s massive!

But then again came more criticism: “Modern-day A-Rod, regular-season merchant, postseason choker.” That’s a direct dig. As per the statement, the commenter believes that Aaron Judge may hit as many home runs as Alex Rodriguez, who has a record number (696), but Judge chokes at clutch moments. While it may sound unconventional, have you ever thought how Judge’s mistake cost the Yanks the World Series? Judge failed to come up with a line drive against Tommy Edman in the fifth inning, which resulted in five runs for the Dodgers in their 7-6 victory over the Yankees.

Nonetheless, there were sensible comments, too. “Is this accurate? End of the day, a HR is a HR they all count for the same amount. But to me it also means come October he’s likely going to do his familiar vanishing act.” And it’s true—a home run is a home run, and if it goes in favor of the team, then there’s no logic in questioning it. However, the fan thinks that once the playoff games begin in October, Judge will fail to leave any significant mark. Well, we cannot say that for sure! 

But let’s hear it from you – do you think the criticism against Aaron Judge’s home runs is justified?