New York Yankees Stars Juan Soto and Aaron Judge Poised for Historic Season in 2024

As the New York Yankees gear up for the upcoming season, FanGraphs’ Steamer projections hint at the potential for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to etch their names in baseball history.

Sarah Langs of MLB.com delved into the intriguing insights gleaned from FanGraphs’ projections, uncovering a slew of records on the brink of being matched or surpassed.

Juan Soto, the recent addition to the Yankees’ formidable lineup, is poised to lead Major League Baseball in Weight Runs Created Plus (wRC+), a metric quantifying pure hitting prowess. If projections hold true, Soto’s expected 171 wRC+ would mark his sixth season surpassing 140 since his debut with the Washington Nationals in 2018. This accomplishment places him in esteemed company, alongside baseball luminaries such as Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, and Ty Cobb. Furthermore, Soto could join a select group of Yankees legends, including Judge, Mantle, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez, Lou Gehrig, and Don Mattingly, as the only players in franchise history to lead the league in wRC+.

Additionally, Soto is anticipated to lead MLB with an impressive 19.4% walk rate, a feat he would achieve for the fifth time in his career. Such consistency at his age is unparalleled, with only a few players achieving this milestone more than twice through their age-25 season.

While Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is favored to lead MLB with a projected 7.4 WAR, both Soto and Judge are hot on his heels. Soto is forecasted to secure the second spot with a 6.7 WAR, closely followed by Judge at third with a 6.2 WAR.

The dynamic duo of Soto and Judge stands on the brink of making Yankees history. Since 1972, only six pairs of teammates have finished in the top three in WAR, with Yankees icons Gehrig and Ruth achieving this feat seven times from 1926 to 1937. With a formidable lineup featuring Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Verdugo, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, and Anthony Volpe alongside Soto and Judge, the Yankees are poised to field one of the most formidable offenses in baseball in the upcoming season.