Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics
FRESNO, Calif. – Former Diamond ‘Dog Aaron Judge has been named the 2024 American League Most Valuable Player unanimously, the MLB announced on Thursday.
The Captain led the Yankees through a 94-68 season with a .322/.458/.701 slash line. The two-time AL MVP hit 58 home runs in the regular season to lead the MLB and totaled 180 base knocks including 36 doubles and a triple. Judge drove in 144 runs and scored 122 of his own, also drawing 133 walks. In addition, he was 10 for 10 in base-stealing attempts.
Judge and the Yankees advanced to the World Series in the 2024 Postseason after knocking out the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians. The six-time MLB All-Star selection contributed with a pair of hits and runs scored in the series.
Judge spent three seasons with the Bulldogs from 2011 to 2013 before being drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. Since then, Judge has been honored as the Rookie of the Year (2017), 3x Silver Slugger (2017, 2021, 2022), Hank Aaron Award recipient (2022) and AL MVP (2022).
As a Bulldog, Judge was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2011, as well as WAC Freshman of the Year as the starting center fielder. In 2012, Judge won the TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby where he launched 16 home runs over the course of three rounds. Judge owned a .345 average with a total of 18 home runs and 109 RBI in 169 games in a Bulldog uniform until he was drafted in 2013.
