Aaron Judge's quote after latest masterpiece will terrify everyone but the Yankees

Aaron Judge drilled a 106.4 mph single to left field in his first at-bat of Wednesday's New York Yankees game against the Kansas City Royals. He lined a 114.4 mph double in his second at-bat of the contest. He was intentionally walked the third time he stepped up to the plate.

In his fourth and final plate appearance, Judge launched a solo shot to break a 3-3 tie. He hit the ball 108.7 mph off his bat and drove it over the wall in right-center field.

Overall, he went 3-for-3 with a single, double, home run, and walk. He is now slashing .409/.519/.803 with seven home runs and 21 RBI for the now first-place Yankees. He didn't win the game on his own, but he certainly was the best player on the field.

He's performing like the best hitter in the sport as he has been for quite some time, and yet, chose to disagree with one specific remark from his manager, Aaron Boone, after Wednesday's game. Boone said Wednesday was as locked in as Judge has been all season, but the star outfielder said, "We're getting there."

We're getting there? How in the world are we not already there?

Aaron Judge somehow leaves room for more after torrid start to the season

Judge is leading the majors in average (.409), OBP (.519), and OPS (1.322). His OPS is over 100 points higher than any other qualified hitter. He's tied for the major league lead in hits (27). His seven home runs have him two shy of the major league lead. If the season ended today, he'd win his third MVP award in four years rather handily. And yet, Judge believes he's just scratching the surface of being fully locked in?

To put it simply, this is terrifying for the rest of the league. Somehow, the player performing like the best hitter in the sport by a wide margin feels like he has more room to grow. Where exactly can he improve?

This kind of mentality is why Judge is the player he is. He is never comfortable. He is never satisfied. Sure, he might be hitting over .400 and on the cusp of leading the majors in the triple crown categories, but he still, somehow, thinks he can be even better. This is why Juan Soto loved hitting in front of him so much.

The sample size is rather small, but it isn't microscopic anymore. Judge is hitting over .400 throughout a nearly three-week sample while mixing in his usual absurd power production. He's had as good of a three-week stretch as a player realistically can have, and yet, he thinks he has more room to grow.

At this point, I wouldn't blame teams for intentionally walking him most of the time he steps up to the plate. Force the likes of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Cody Bellinger to beat you. They might do it, but teams should know that Judge will beat you. Throwing Judge anything remotely close to the zone must feel like a death sentence right now. When Judge does get fully locked in, he will only be harder to pitch to.

Juan Soto might be the richest hitter in the game. Shohei Ohtani might be the most popular hitter in the game. When healthy, though, there's nobody better than Aaron Judge, who just keeps getting better even when he isn't fully locked in.