"Are the Yankees even a playoff team without Judge?" "He's carrying a weak team to a 5.5 game lead in the AL east" - New York Yankees fans hail Aaron Judge as the All-Star continues to lead the team's offense

Aaron Judge was always going to be a key contributor to the New York Yankees offense this season. Judge is an elite hitter, but no one could have predicted he could reach the level he has in 2022. The outfielder has surpassed all expectations and is thriving in New York. At this stage, he is not just leading the team; the man singlehandedly carries them on his shoulders.

The Yankees faced the Minnesota Twins in a doubleheader on Wednesday. The team won both games with a 5-4 victory in the first game and a 7-1 win in the late matchup. Three consecutive wins over the Twins were critical for a Yankees team that has been stuttering of late. It provides the Bronx Bombers with some breathing room at the top of the American League East over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Yankees offense has struggled recently. Before the Minnesota series, the team scored just five runs in their previous four games versus the Rays and Los Angeles Angels. Once again, Aaron Judge was called on to bail the offense out. Fans all over the league are taking note of Judge's contributions this season.

After just six games in September, Judge has four home runs and five RBIs. His batting average is .421 and with all the intentional walks, his OBP has risen to .577. He also holds a whopping 1.158 slugging.

In the month of August, Judge wasn't too shabby either. While teammates struggled, Judge excelled during a difficult stretch of the season. He had a .289/.458/.633 slash line with 22 RBIs and five stolen bases. He has led the team over the past month, with nine home runs in 27 games.

This season, he has a .301/.407/.683 slash line. He leads the league (by far) with 55 home runs. Add to that his 118 RBIs and 334 total bases, and it is easy to see why he is the frontrunner for the AL MVP award.

Aaron Judge has 4 HRs and 6 RBIs after just 6 games in the month of September

Aaron Judge follows through on his fourth inning home run against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium

The fact that Aaron Judge is putting up these types of numbers in the midst of contract negotiations makes it that much more impressive. Judge turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million offer earlier this year and decided to bet on himself this season.

Brian Cashman must be kicking himself for not closing this deal. The four-time All-Star will now become baseball's most sought-after player this off-season.

It's difficult to blame some of the younger players in this lineup. Oswaldo Cabrera, Estevan Florial, and Oswald Peraza have combined for a total of only 37 games this season. They are young and inexperienced and still settling into the majors.

Veteran players like Josh Donaldson, Gleyber Torres, and Aaron Hicks need to bear some of the responsibility for this floundering offense. If fringe players do not step up to support Judge, it's hard to see the Yankees having any impact in the playoffs.