MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players in the game today

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 09: Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) during an at bat in the second inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers played on April 9, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 20: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees grimaces as he runs out a single during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on April 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

7. Aaron Judge

For big-time MLB prospects, debuts don’t get much worse than Aaron Judge’s first stint with the New York Yankees in 2016. The 6-foot-7 outfielder’s first 27 games in the big leagues were so bad that there were legitimate doubts that he would make the Opening Day roster the following year. Judge hit just .179/.263/.345 with 42 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. He hit only two doubles and four home runs and was entirely overmatched by MLB pitching.

Luckily for the Yankees, Judge went home after his flop and did what the great ones do — adjust. He set the world on fire during Spring Training in 2017 and earned a starting job in the big leagues. He would then go on to have one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history, hitting .284/.422/.627 with 52 home runs and 114 RBI. Judge won Rookie of the Year and finished second in the MVP vote. Were it not for a disastrous stretch in the second half where he hit .185/.353/.392 with only 11 home runs and 84 strikeouts in 55 games, Judge may have hit 60 home runs.

Those difficult stretches may always be a part of Judge’s game given his size and the holes it can leave in his swing. He more than makes up for it with one of the best batting eyes in the league —he has 226 walks in 314 MLB games — so the Yankees can live with the strikeouts knowing pitchers must truly execute their pitches to strike Judge out.

For one of the biggest men in MLB history, Judge is surprisingly athletic and plays right field well. If he is able to stay healthy and produce into his 30s, he may go down as the best tall player ever.

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