Through the summer and fall of 1998, Aaron Boone had a frontrow seat to history.
Boone was a rookie third baseman on the Reds that season. He was often on the opposing side as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a season. Boone started at third base the day McGwire hit home run No. 60 against the Reds. He was at the hot corner when Sosa hit Nos. 52 and 55.
Boone never forgot that season, and never dreamed he'd be so close to something like it again.
Twenty-four years later, as the Yankees manager watched Aaron Judge every day, he was.
"It's been remarkable," Boone said during a late-season series in Anaheim. "I was a young player in '98 playing in the National League Central when Sammy and McGwire were doing their thing down the stretch... I got to see that kind of a circus and the excitement that went with that, how big that was at the time for baseball.
"I think what Aaron's doing is certainly in line with that."
Judge hit a major league-high 62 home runs this season, breaking Maris' American League record. He hit .311 and drove in 131 runs, finishing just shy of winning the American League Triple Crown. The Twins' Luis Arraez hit.316 to take the AL batting title.
Judge led the majors in several categories, including runs (133), on-base percentage (425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111) and OPS+ (211). He did it all while taking over as the Yankees' center fielder and propping up a team that slumped badly down the stretch. He carried them to 99 wins and the AL East division title.
For his historic season, Judge is the 2022 Baseball America Major League Player of the Year.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Baseball America.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE SERVICE TIME CONUNDRUM
MLB’s byzantine service time rules cloud rookie status and now PPI eligibility
LUIS TIANT WAS MLB'S MOST SUCCESSFUL CUBAN PITCHER
On a scouting trip to Cuba in 1957, Bobby Avila discovered 16-year-old righthander Luis Tiant on the island's Juvenile League all-star team.
ORGANIZATION REPORT
Outfielder Heston Kjerstad's career has been unique, to say the least.
TOP 10 NL EAST
From the moment Thomas White stepped on a high school mound, he was viewed as the top lefthander available in the 2023 draft.
PREPARATION PAYS OFF
lowa politician J.D. Scholten makes a surprising return to pro ball at age 44
MAKING THE GRADE
Assessing the future value of graduated National League prospects
TOP 10 NL WEST
Even in high school, Bryce Eldridge could hit the ball a mile. The 6-foot-7 righthander could also touch 96 mph off the mound.
Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
ROAD BLOCK?
Scholarship expansion puts mid-majors at a major disadvantage on the road to Omaha
ROYALS REVIVAL
A revamped and rejuvenated farm system has Kansas City ready to rebound
