Current Home Run Record and Career Context
Aaron Judge holds the American League single-season home run record with 62 home runs, set in 2022, surpassing the 61 home runs hit by Roger Maris in 1961. His 2022 campaign also included a league-leading 131 runs scored, 133 RBIs, and a .311/.425/.686 slash line, establishing him as the central figure in the modern home run conversation. Judge's 62 home runs place him one short of Barry Bonds' MLB-wide record of 73, set in 2001, a benchmark he has publicly targeted in subsequent seasons. The record is officially recognized by MLB and documented on the league's statistics page, which tracks verified single-season totals across all eras. For the latest official stat line, see the MLB statistics page at https://www.mlb.com/stats.
The 2022 season marked Judge's first full campaign as the Yankees' undisputed offensive leader following his 2021 collarbone injury-shortened campaign. His 62 home runs came on 383 at-bats, yielding a home-run-per-at-bat rate of roughly one every 6.2 plate appearances. The home run total also broke the AL record for right-handed hitters and positioned Judge as the 8th player in MLB history to surpass 60 home runs in a single season. The Yankees' 99-win regular season and subsequent ALCS appearance were directly tied to Judge's run production, which accounted for a significant share of the team's total run differential. The financial valuation of that season is reflected in his subsequent contract, discussed below.
Contract Extension and Financial Terms
On January 11, 2023, Judge signed a 9-year, $360 million contract extension with the New York Yankees, making him the highest-paid player in MLB history by average annual value at $40 million per year. The deal includes a full no-trade clause, a structure that is rare for players with his level of on-field production and market leverage. The contract covers the 2023 through 2031 seasons, with a club option for 2032, and includes $24 million in signing bonuses paid out over the first two seasons. The Yankees' front office valued Judge's projected Wins Above Replacement at the time of signing at roughly 7 to 8 WAR per season, a figure that justifies the contract's total value relative to the league's revenue-sharing and salary-cap environment. Details of the deal were reported by ESPN and the Yankees' official announcement, available at https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35563043/aaron-judge-agrees-9-year-360-million-contract-yankees.
The contract's structure affects the Yankees' luxury tax calculations, as the $40 million AAV pushes the team deep into the competitive balance tax threshold each season. Under the current MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, repeated luxury tax overages trigger escalating surcharges and potential draft pick penalties, making Judge's deal a central factor in the team's long-term financial planning. The Yankees' 2023 payroll exceeded $300 million, with Judge's salary representing roughly 13% of that total. The deal also sets a benchmark for future superstar contracts, particularly for players who combine elite home run production with positional scarcity at catcher and right field. The financial implications are tracked by outlets such as Forbes, which covers the business of sports at