“I’m not on that level yet” - Aaron Judge downplays comparison with Barry Bonds

Aaron Judge's 2025 MLB season for the New York Yankees has been nothing short of exceptional. Judge's performances have been so good that Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus compared Judge;s knowledge of the strike zone to the legendary Barry Bonds.

While the comparison speaks volumes about Judge's impact this season, the 3Yankee has dismissed comparisons with Bonds. As per the New York Times, Judge refuted the comparison and said that he isn't on the same level as Bonds.

Aaron Judge said:

“They’re still giving me a couple of pitches to hit per night. He would get one pitch a series and hit it to the moon. I’m not on that level yet. Hopefully one day. But he’s the greatest of all time. I can’t compete with him.”

You can check a compilation of Judge's home runs in the 2025 season below:

In the ongoing MLB season, Aaron Judge has amassed 311 at-bats. His impressive average of .354, among other impressive stats like 30 home runs, makes him one of the best hitters in the game.

MLB insider compares Aaron Judge with Juan Soto

While Aaron Judge and Juan Soto might be two of the best hitters in the MLB, their hitting approaches are very different. Judge, 33, is known to smack the ball hard, while Soto is very patient, but both approaches have been successful.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, comparing the two giants. said that Judge's approach to hitting is "anti-Juan Soto,".saying:

"It's almost like the anti-Juan Soto approach," said Rosenthal (16:48). "(With) Soto, it seems like every at-bat is a masterpiece in which he wins the count to 3-2, and it's just working in his favor and he's a maestro (that's) just dictating the whole at-bat.

"Judge explained that he's being more aggressive this year. He was surprised when I told him about his swing rates. He didn't know that he had been swinging at a higher rate. He's just going out there and playing. He's not studying the numbers necessarily."

While Judge and Soto are instrumental to their respective teams, Judge has amassed a better average. With 311 at-bats, Judge has an average of .354, while Soto has 298 at-bats with an average of .258.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Bhargav