Aaron Judge’s 2022 season among MLB’s all-time greatest

Aaron Judge has put together one of the finest all-around offensive seasons in Major League Baseball history — blending power with natural hitting to make a legitimate run at the Triple Crown.

But where does it rank all-time in the annals of Major League Baseball history?

It’s a tricky question considering the debate that always plagues discussions, whether it’s about the different eras or performance-enhancing drugs. But doing our best to put that aside and simply focus on the stats, Judge’s 2022 campaign that’s the best of a generation will have issues measuring up to some of the more prolific stat lines that the game was built upon.

Of course, this depends on the eye of the beholder. We looked at traditional stats of batting average, home runs, and RBI, but also brought OPS into the conversation to try and find the greatest complete statlines that blend power, natural hitting for average, and the ability to drive in runs.

This is what we’ve come up with.

Barry Bonds (SFG), 2001: .328/.515/.692, 1.379 OPS, 73 HR, 137 RBI

The greatest home-run-hitting season of all-time, Bonds’ 2001 season sparked arguably one of the most dominant and feared four-year stretches ever seen from a singular hitter in MLB history.

Babe Ruth (NYY), 1921: .378/.512/.846, 1.359 OPS, 59 HR, 168 RBI

Ruth’s 1921 season was his best ever despite hitting one more home run in 1927 — setting the magical benchmark we revere today. His 457 total bases are the most ever in a single season.

Barry Bonds (SFG), 2004: .362/.609/.812, 1.422 OPS, 45 HR, 101 RBI

No one will ever be more feared than Bonds in 2004, who was walked a staggering 232 times in this season. One-hundred-twenty (120) of them were intentional. It limited his at-bats to just 373 and he still socked 45 home runs with 101 RBI. That’s a 500-at-bat pace of 60 home runs and 135 RBI. Regardless, his 1.422 OPS is the highest single-season mark in MLB history.

Babe Ruth (NYY), 1927: .356/.486/.772, 1.258 OPS, 60 HR, 165 RBI

Ruth’s most well-known season isn’t even his best all-around offensive campaign — which helps offer an idea of just how transcendental he was to the game.

Babe Ruth (NYY), 1920: .370/.582/.799, 1.379 OPS, 54 HR, 135 RBI

The first 50-home-run season in MLB history, Ruth’s 1.379 OPS is tied for the third highest in a single season in MLB history.

Rogers Hornsby (STL), 1922: .401/.459/.722, 1.181 OPS, 42 HR, 152 RBI

Hornsby is the only player in MLB history to post a .400-plus batting average and 40 or more home runs in the same season.

Ted Williams (BOS), 1941: .406/.554/.735, 1.287 OPS, 37 HR, 120 RBI

We’ve never seen a blend of natural hitting prowess and power this good since 1941 when Williams became the last player to hit .400 or better in a season.

Hack Wilson (CHC), 1930: .356/.454/.723, 1.177 OPS, 56 HR, 191 RBI

A season that simply isn’t talked about enough in its entirety. Not only did Hack Wilson set an MLB record of 191 RBI that stands today, but he socked 56 home runs which at the time set a National League record that wasn’t broken until 1998.

Barry Bonds (SFG), 2002: .370/.582/.799, 1.381 OPS, 46 HR, 110 RBI

Bonds was walked 198 times in 2002, second-most in MLB history. His 1.381 OPS was also the second-highest ever, too. His 500-at-bat pace was 57 home runs and 136 RBI.

Babe Ruth (NYY), 1923: .393/.545/.764, 1.309 OPS, 41 HR, 130 RBI

Ruth’s 1923 season joined Hornsby’s stellar campaign in 1922 as the only two seasons in MLB history (still to this day) in which a player batted at least .390 with 40 home runs. His 1.309 OPS is also one of just six instances in MLB history of a single-season mark of 1.300 or better.

Lou Gehrig (NYY), 1927: .373/.474/.765, 1.240 OPS, 47 HR, 173 RBI

Four years later, Gehrig posted 185 RBI, which ranks second-most in MLB history. But his 1927 campaign saw a batting average that was 32 points higher with significant boosts in on-base percentage and slugging.

Jimmie Foxx (PHA), 1932: .364/.469/.749, 1.218 OPS, 58 HR, 169 RBI

If it wasn’t for Ruth and Gehrig, Foxx would have been the quintessential power hitter of his era — and this season was one of his very best.

Lou Gehrig (NYY), 1931: .341/.446/.662, 1.108 OPS, 46 HR, 185 RBI

Gehrig’s 185 RBI rank second in MLB history in a single season and it still wasn’t even his best all-around offensive season.

Sammy Sosa (CHC), 2001: .328/.437/.737, 1.174 OPS, 64 HR, 160 RBI

Sosa’s 2001 season was only the second ever seen in which a player hit 60 or more home runs with 160 or more RBI (Ruth, 1927).

Aaron Judge (NYY), 2022: .311/.425/.686, 1.111 OPS, 62 HR, 131 RBI

Judge’s season has been nothing short of great. Here’s a look at how he ranks all-time in each offensive category: